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Electrical drive sparks recycling rise
Posted on 11/11/2009
Highways, Transportation & Waste Management
Nearly 50% more old electrical goods have been given a new lease of life, thanks to residents' hard work.
The rates have rocketed at County Council sites following a campaign launched in March encouraging people to recycle old electrical goods such as toasters and kettles.
Between April and September, there has been a huge increase of 45% compared to the same period last year - this works out at nearly 650,000 hairdryers or one for every person in Leicestershire.
The County Council drive urged residents to take the unwanted products to one its 14 recycling and household sites across Leicestershire and included a scratchcard competition offering a variety of prizes.
Tony Kershaw, County Council Cabinet Member for Waste Management, said: "This innovative campaign has generated fantastic results and proved to be an incredibly successful way of encouraging residents to recycle old electrical appliances such as toasters and kettles."
Old electrical goods can be dismantled into raw materials and put to new uses - a typical iron contains enough steel to make 13 food cans and plastic recycled from appliances such as kettles or irons can be re-used in new games consoles or hairdryers.
154 million small electrical products were bought in the UK in the last year alone, weighing a staggering 551,000 tonnes in total or 22kgs per household but only around 10% of this was recycled.
Electrical items that use disposable batteries, have a mains cable or need recharging can all be recycled.
There are 14 dedicated facilities for collecting waste electrical goods.
Residents can find their nearest drop-off point using the postcode locator at www.dontbinitbringit.org
Electrical retailers are also obliged to offer help and advice and many provide recycling take back services.
For more information, or to find the nearest recycling and household waste site, visit www.leics.gov.uk/waste or call 0116 305 0001.