ASK
Could your electric kettle be repaired? Could you donate it to a charity? Could you pass it on to someone you know? Or could you sell your unwanted kettle to someone who needs one?
Electric kettle recycling
What to do with old or broken electric kettles.
Recycling electric kettles
It’s as easy as ABC
BAG IT
Find a bag that you can use to store all your old electrical bits and pieces until you can go to the recycling centre – or until collection day, if you have one.
CHECK
Find your nearest recycling point. Just enter your postcode in our recycling locator.
Recycling locatorWhere can you recycle electric kettles?
Pick the option that suits you.
With your recycling collection
Your council may provide a collection service for recycling electricals – either with your regular waste collection or by arrangement. Check our Locator.
Household waste and recycling centre
Household waste and recycling centres have bins for appliances like kettles. Some have an area where you can donate items in good working order to be passed on.
Recycling banks
You’ll find special bins on streets, in supermarkets and car parks where you can deposit small items like kettles for recycling.
In store
Thousands of shops across the UK will now take your old electric kettle for recycling if you’re buying a new one from them. Read our page on the retailer take-back scheme.
Electric kettle recycling – frequently asked questions
Why recycle an old kettle?
Electric kettles contain valuable materials such as steel, copper, brass, nickel, iron, silver, aluminium and plastics. Specialist factories recover and process these materials so that they can be disposed of safely or reused. This reduces the need to mine more metals and manufacture more plastics. It’s better for the environment than sending your old kettle to landfill or leaving it to gather dust in a cupboard.
What does the wheelie-bin symbol on my kettle mean?
The crossed-out wheelie-bin symbol on your electric kettle – and other electrical products – means you should not put the item in with your general rubbish. Read more about managing waste electrical and electronic equipment.
Do charity shops take electric kettles?
Some charity shops welcome electrical products such as kettles in good working order – see our page on donating electricals to charity shops.
Can electric kettles be repaired?
In principle, yes. The heating element or power lead might be replaceable, for example. But it depends on the design and what the fault is. The fact that Dualit make a kettle specially marketed as repairable suggests it’s not the norm. But don’t let that deter you. If you want to have a go, check out our page on repairing electricals or this ifixit guide or to this icdself guide to disassembling a kettle.
Will retailers take my old electric kettle off my hands?
When you buy a new electric kettle the retailer should now take your old electrical product from you for recycling. Your old one doesn’t have to be the same brand as your new kettle. It doesn’t even need to have come from the same retailer.
Find your nearest recycling point
Put in your postcode to find recycling and reuse centres near you
