How electrical recycling works

It starts with you

When you recycle your old electricals, you’re giving a new lease of life to a whole range of valuable materials.

Watch this

Humans! Do you know how electricals are recycled?

I am HypnoCat. Gaze into my eyes and I will show you how your old electricals and electronics change into shiny new objects.

You will remember everything.

Find your local recycling points
A photo of all the parts in a mobile phone A photo of a woman sorting cables A digger picking up metals at a scrap heap Medical equipment in a hospital

How electrical recycling works

New life for old electricals

Our unwanted electricals contain valuable materials including plastics and metals such as gold, copper, steel and aluminium.

Breaking it down

From your recycling point, old electricals go to a reprocessing plant, where people sort and break them apart by hand. Then machines shred the materials into small pieces.

Separating

Magnets separate steel and other ferrous metals, and electrical currents remove other metals. Plastic is also sorted into different types and ground up.

Back to market

When we recover metals and plastics they become valuable commodities to the UK economy. They’re sold on the open market and can become new products – from bicycles to life-saving equipment.

recycling bin photo

How does it work?

Do old electricals just go to developing countries?

If you recycle your old electricals in the right way, almost all the materials get processed in the UK and become a valuable UK commodity. Our electrical recycling locator shows you where to recycle old electricals to ensure this happens.

Recycling locator
Recycled metal turned into Olympic medal

Transforming waste into national pride

Japan spent two years collecting small old electricals from all over the country ahead of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. 80,000 tonnes of old electricals, previously regarded as waste, are being turned into 5,000 gold, silver and bronze medals for Olympians and Paralympians to wear with pride.

Find your nearest recycling point

Recycle Your Electricals campaign logo
Recycling Locator