How electrical recycling works
Electrical recycling near meIt 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.
How electrical recycling works
From recycling centre to new product.
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.
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
Recovered metals and plastics 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.
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.
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.
