Be part of The Great Cable Challenge and join the millions taking one small action to make a big difference.
Almost all of us have unwanted, broken cables clogging up our drawers, or have considered binning a flimsy cable when it broke. That’s millions of cables and thousands of kilograms of copper going to waste that could be reused or recycled.
Enter The Great Cable Challenge! – a UK-wide challenge to recycle 1 million cables in the run up to International E-Waste Day. If 1 million of us all recycled one cable, we could save at least 5,000kg of copper from going to waste.
So bag up your old cables – or any old electricals in your ‘drawer of doom’! – ready to recycle this October.
And why you should get involved in International E-Waste Day
Cables – like anything with a plug, battery or cable – contain some of the planet’s most precious and finite resources, like copper. Copper is a material essential in everyday things that we take for granted – like our phones, our transport, clean energy, lifesaving medical equipment and our green future.
Cables are most likely to be thrown away or held onto. The average UK home has at least 4 or 5 unused cables gathering dust in a drawer. And when they’re not hiding in homes, 5 million cables are binned every year – that’s enough to circle the earth 5 times!
Copper can be recycled over and over and over without losing any of it’s power. And it’s not just copper – in fact 75% of materials in our electricals can be recycled and used again, like copper, gold, lithium or aluminium. Don’t let these precious materials go to waste – let’s give them a new lease of life!
Start sorting your cables, ready to recycle this October – we suggest a bag to put them in as you go! If you are from an organisation and want to take part, download our Great Cable Toolkit or take a look at our FAQs for more information.
DID YOU KNOW?
Last year we inspired 73,000 people nationwide to kickstart their reuse and recycling journey – in just one week!
Together we can make even more of an impact this year.
International E-Waste Day*, 14 October 2024, (IEWD) is a key moment to raise awareness of electrical waste as the fastest-growing source of waste in the world, and in the UK. Whilst more and more of us are recycling, we need everyone to do it to save precious materials from being lost forever.
Hundreds of countries across the world will unite on 14 October 2024 to tackle the issue. This is a chance to take collective action and deal with those unwanted electricals we have lying around at home or in the workplace, ensuring they get recycled or go to a new home.
*IEWD was founded by the WEEE Forum, the international association representing producer responsibility organisations. The UK lead member is REPIC Ltd. IEWD is open to any one to participate.
Individuals
Join the Great Cable Challenge and take the pledge to help recycle 1 million cables across the UK. Bag them up – and any other old electricals – ready to recycle this International E-Waste Day.
Partners
We’re looking for local communities, charities, community groups, retailers, schools and universities across the UK who can:
Download our Great Cable Challenge toolkit today to access a step-by-step guide for setting up a collection, social media and newsletter templates and more.
No, you don’t have to only recycle cables! While The Great Cable Challenge focuses on recycling cables, we encourage you to donate or recycle any old, unwanted electricals items – that includes anything with a plug, battery or cable.
By recycling more of these items, you’ll be making an even greater impact. So feel free to donate (if they still work) or recycle all your old electronics and electricals! Check out this page on what you can recycle.
All electricals in a recycling bin will be taken to a recycling centre and sorted. Some might be refurbished and get a second life; others will be broken down into components and valuable raw materials to be used again. Metals and plastics recovered from old electricals can be made into a host of new products, from children’s playgrounds to life-saving medical equipment.
Watch our video on How electricals are recycled.
You can recycle your cables, and any other electrical item, at your local recycling centre, retailer, community drop-off point, kerbside collection (if you have one) or on-street bring bank. If your cables still work you may be able to take it to a local charity shop (check in-store for more details first).
You can find all your local donation and recycling points on our locator.
