ASK
Does your old electrical contain batteries or bulbs? Remove these before recycling. Delete any personal data from smart devices, and take out memory and SIM cards.
Recycling kids’ toys
Unwanted electrical toys and games cluttering up the home? Here’s your guide to freeing up space and emptying the old toy box guilt-free.
Why donate or recycle unwanted electrical toys?
So that they can have a great day every day
Millions of toys are feeling unloved
UK homes are bursting with nearly 7.5 million unused tamagotchis, furbys, remote controlled cars and other electronic toys and games as children grow up and move on.
But old electrical toys still have a lot to give
Over 70% of the battery-operated toys that our kids no longer play with are still in working order and could brighten up someone else’s life. See our guide to donating electricals.
And they contain hidden treasure
Like all electricals, electronic toys contain valuable materials like gold, silver and aluminium that can be used again to make new products – from bicycles to life-saving medical equipment.
Reusing and recycling them is child’s play
And with more than 16,000 reuse and recycling points across the UK, making sure the old favourites live on is so simple even an adult can do it. Find your nearest donation or recycling point.
As easy as ABC
Could your unwanted electricals be passed on, or fixed? If not, recycling your electricals is the best thing to do. Now preparing them is simple.
BAG IT
Find a bag that you can use to store all your old electricals until you can go to the recycling centre – or until collection day, if you have one.
CHECK
Check our easy recycling locator to find your local repair, reuse or recycling points.
Recycling locator
Toy robots
Games consoles
Tamagotchis
Furbys
Walkie-talkies
Remote-controlled cars
Toy laptops
DID YOU KNOW?
72% of unused toys still work
That means they could be donated for other children to play with.
See our guide to donating electricals to charity – and write the sequel to your toys’ story.
Children’s toy charities
Find your nearest reuse and recycling point
What should I do with the kids’ old electrical toys? And other frequently asked questions
Can I put children’s electrical toys in the bin?
No. Like anything with a plug, battery or cable, if your electrically powered toys are beyond use you should recycle them. But do check first to see if you could donate or sell them. It’s better for the environment – and you could make a little cash.
Remember – never bin batteries or battery-operated kids’ toys. Batteries can cause fires if you throw them in your normal recycling or waste bin, so it’s really important to recycle them properly. Find out more about recycling batteries here, or use our recycling locator to find your local recycling point.
Do charity shops take electrical toys and games?
Check out specialist toy charities and schemes such as The Toy Project, YoungPlanet, and Toys4life. And some charity shops welcome electrical devices that are in good working order, including kids’ electrical toys – see our page on donating electricals to charity shops.
Is it OK to leave unwanted electrical toys out on the street for someone to pick up?
If you’ve arranged for items to be picked up by your local council or collection service, then that’s okay. But don’t just just leave electrical goods on the pavement – it can lead to valuable and hazardous materials not being managed properly, and it’s considered to be flytipping. Contact your council, charities or social enterprises in the area to see if they will collect. If you’re buying new electrical toys or games, the retailer must take your old ones back. Find your nearest drop-off or collection point for all electricals by entering your postcode in our recycling locator.
Is it up to me to take our old electrical toys to the dump to be recycled?
If you can, then taking your unwanted electricals to your nearest waste and recycling centre is an option (check ahead for opening times and rules). But if this isn’t convenient, see Who will collect my unwanted electrical toys?, below.
Who will collect my unwanted electrical toys?
Your council, charities and reuse organisations might collect from your doorstep or a designated spot near your home. Some provide this service for free, but others will charge. You could hire a licensed waste disposal firm to take your electricals away; this might be an option if you’re having a clear-out. You could also sell your electronic toys via peer-to-peer marketplaces such as eBay and Gumtree, or offer them free on Freecycle or Freegle, where you can ask the new owner to collect it.
Where can I recycle electrical toys that we’re replacing?
Find your nearest donation and recycling point using our recycling locator. Or, if you’re shopping, bear in mind that retailers now take back old electricals when you’re buying new – that should include old electronic toys and games. You have 28 days to hand over your old gadgets for disposal from the time you buy a new product. What’s more, some stores will recycle your old electricals even if you’re not buying from them.
What happens to broken electrical toys if you recycle them?
At a recycling centre old elecgrical toys may be checked to see if they can be refurbished and passed on. If they are beyond use they are broken down mechanically and by hand. The fragments are sorted into the various materials such as metals and plastics, and are cleaned. Then they go for further processing so that they can be reused in new products. Watch our video on How electricals are recycled.
What does the crossed-out bin icon on electronic toys mean?
The crossed-out wheelie bin indicates that this is hazardous waste if not disposed of correctly. This means you mustn’t put the product in the general rubbish bin. We need to dispose of electrical and electronic products properly to avoid polluting the environment and to save some of the planet’s most valuable resources from being lost forever.
