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The only problem with buying yourself a great new gadget, or fitting out your kitchen with up-to-the minute appliances is what to do with the things they replace. Disposing of old electricals can be a bit of a headache and they often end up gathering dust at the back of a cupboard or in the attic.

At the moment, over 75% of old electricals end up in landfills, polluting the soil. Every year Britain produces enough electrical waste to fill Wembley Stadium 6 times over. And this mountain of junk is growing - Britain produces 5% more electrical waste every year.

The irony is that over 85% of the materials that make up electrical goods are recyclable, and recycling them has never been easier. Here’s our quick guide to the right way to get rid of old TVs, kitchen appliances, gadgets and mobile phones.

What can I recycle?

If your product has a plug or a battery it can probably be recycled.  Double check by looking for the crossed-out wheely bin symbol somewhere on the product case or manual.

Recycling electrical goods

Shops (and this includes online shops) who sell you electrical items are legally obliged to help with the recycling of old products, under the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) regulations.

Some shops offer a “take back” scheme, in which you can return products to them when you buy from them on a “like-for-like” basis - if you buy a cooker, you can return your old cooker, or if you buy an mp3 player you can return your old portable CD player - and the shop will make arrangements to recycle the old eletrcial item itself.

This recycling service has to be free, but shops are allowed to charge for picking up electrical goods - even if their van is already coming to your house to drop off the new product. If you aren’t replacing the product, some shops offer the same kind of service for a fee.

Most shops insist that products be empty, defrosted (if a fridge or freezer), drained (if a laundry appliance) and fully detached from water, gas, electricity and other fittings.  It’s advisable to get a professional to do the detaching, especially in the case of gas connections.  Some shops will disconnect your old appliances as part of the connection service for your new ones.

Check out your favourite shops on this list of retailers with take-back schemes (pdf), or look at the policies of some of Reevoo.com’s top retail partners in the chart below.  Shops that run pick-up schemes usually allow you to bring items into the shop - but do ring to check.

Retailer	Cost for collection	Products collected
Appliances Direct	£19.95	all products
Boots Kitchen Appliances	£9.99	all products
Comet	£8.95 if you buy a replacment from them, £19.57 otherwise - call 01275 336085 for details	kitchen appliances and large tvs
Currys	free	Large kitchen appliances and tvs above 37″ picked up. Small goods can be returned to the shop.
Dixons	3.95	Large kitchen appliances and tvs above 37″ picked up. Small goods can be returned to the Currys stores.
John Lewis (only available for some postcodes)	£9	Large household goods and other large electricals.
Kays	£25.00	Cookers, laundry and refrigeration appliances
Laptops Direct	£19.95	all
Marshall Ward	£25.00	Cookers, laundry and refrigeration appliances
PC World	free	Large screen TVs. Small items can be returned to store
Pixmania		None - but items can be returned to Currys stores.
Sainsburys Appliances	£9.99	all
Tesco	£7.34	Cookers, dishwashers, laundry and refrigeration appliances

Other shops contribute towards a local authority recycling scheme.  You can’t return your old electricals to these shops, but they do help to fund local authority recycling sites for electrical items.  Find your nearest site at the Recycle Now website.  This kind of recycling is free if you take the item to the recycling site yourself.   Some councils will pick up your electrical goods from your house, for a small fee - check your local council’s website for details.

Recycling batteries

Leaky batteries cause damage to the environment - and we get through 20 thousand tonnes a year.  Find a local recycling facility for your old batteries or save yourself money in the long-run and buy rechargeable batteries and a battery charger.

Recycling mobile phones

The minerals used to make mobiles work are scarce and there are plenty of services willing to take old handsets - some which benefit charities, some which will give you money or loyalty card points in return.  Find out more at our mobile phone recycling guide.

Coming tomorrow: what to do with electricals that still work

Tags: batteries, electrical waste, Green, Mobile Phones, recycling, take back, WEEE

Blog posted on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 11:30 am under Cameras, Computers, DVD players, DVD recorders, Dishwashers, Environment, Fridges, Green, HiFi systems, Kettles, Laptops, MP3 Players, Microwaves, Mobile Phones, Ovens, Products, Projectors, Speakers, Televisions, Tumble dryers, Vacuum cleaners, Washing machines, shopping. Leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.