Tied up in knots over what to do with unwanted cables and leads? Not sure if you can recycle cables? Let’s straighten things out.
Do you really need all those old cables and leads you have tucked away? Do they work? Could they be repaired?
To recycle, find a bag that you can use to store old cables and leads until you can go to the recycling centre – or until collection day, if you have one.
Find your local recycling point. Simply pop your postcode into our recycling locator. That’s it!
Recycling locatorElectrical cables and leads are hidden treasure. And the great thing is they are simple to recycle.
Most of us have a drawer full of old cables and leads. In fact, you could circle the Earth five times with the cables hiding in UK homes.
Copper, aluminium, even gold are used in cables, leads and wiring. These are precious materials that can be turned into new products.
Recycling cables and leads means the plastic coating won’t end up polluting the environment. So don’t throw cables or leads in the rubbish.
It’s not just your phone lead. Vacuum cleaners, TVs, lamps, electric guitars, washing machines – recycle all electrical cables.
Find out how singer Nicola Roberts came to wear a dress made from 315 metres of household wires.
A soldering iron or screwdriver may be all it takes to repair a broken cable or fit a new plug to a power lead. See our page on repairing electricals.
Repair electronics
Some charities will accept chargers and leads in working order for resale or recycling. See our page on donating electricals to charity.
Donate electrical goods
Car boot sales, local networks or online marketplaces such as Gumtree and Ebay are all worth checking out.
Cash in your electricals
Thousands of shops across the UK will now take your old electrical products for recycling if you’re buying from them. And many stores will take your old tech even if you’re not buying.
This includes all the accessories including plugs, batteries – and yes, cables.
