Residents urged to recycle their small electrical appliances

The Hartlepool Electricals Recycling Initiative aims to encourage over 40,000 households to support the drive to reduce the amount of local electrical waste.

This initiative is one of over 60 UK projects funded by Material Focus, the not-for-profit organisation leading the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, who have provided £28,607 to support this project. Hartlepool Borough Council is joining other projects around the country in making it easier for 10 million UK residents to recycle and reuse their electricals.

As part of the initiative, ten new drop-off points, where items including laptops and handheld devices, hairdryers, toasters and other small electricals can be recycled.  The drop off points are located at:

• Community Hub Central, York Road.
• Community Hub South, Wynyard Road.
• Seaton Carew Library, Station Lane.
• Headland Sports Centre, Union Street.
• Throston Library, Wiltshire Way.
• West View Advice and Resource Centre, Miers Avenue.
• Brierton Sports Centre, Brierton Lane.
• Mill House Leisure Centre, Raby Road.
• Hartlepool Civic Centre, Victoria Road.
• The Household Waste Recycling Centre, Burn Road.

Hartlepool residents are asked to keep an eye out for HypnoCat, the Recycle Your Electricals mesmerising pink, fluffy mascot, who is on a mission to hypnotise local residents into recycling their electricals.

This project is part of the new 2025 funding for the Electricals Recycling Fund where Material Focus has allocated an additional £750,000. The aim of the nationwide Electricals Recycling Fund is to significantly reduce e-waste and its environmental impact by making it easier for consumers to recycle their electricals. The projects that have been funded by Material Focus include a variety of recycling methods, from kerbside collections to more drop-off points in schools, community centres, and bring banks. Overall there will be over 400 new collection points plus kerbside collections for 3 million UK residents.

Recycle Your Electricals research has shown that 80% of consumers believe recycling is a good thing, and many of us already recycle things like paper and plastic. Research has also shown that most of us have unwanted electricals we want to get rid of. On average there are at least 30 electricals hidden away in drawers in UK homes, a total of 880 million items across the UK - with a simple repair many could be donated or sold to people who could put them to good use. And yet 39% of people bin electricals, rather than recycle or reuse them leading to over 100,000 tonnes of electricals thrown away every year. The aim of these projects is to overcome these issues by making it easier to repair, donate or recycle electricals.

Councillor Karen Oliver, Chair of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Neighbourhood Services Committee, said: “We are committed to increasing local recycling rates, so we are delighted to have joined forces with Material Focus to launch this initiative.

“Unwanted electricals, one of the fastest growing sources of waste in the UK, contain precious and finite materials such as gold, copper, lithium and aluminium which are lost forever when appliances are thrown away.

“Together we can really make a difference and help ensure a more sustainable future, so I would urge local people to support the scheme by always recycling their small electrical appliances where reuse is not an option.

“Recycling electricals helps cut waste, save energy, and protects our planet.

So, remember, if it's got a plug, battery, or cable don't bin it, recycle it!"

“We are pleased to support the Hartlepool Electricals Recycling Initiative that addresses the pressing issue of e-waste.” said Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus. "By investing in improved collection and drop-off services and exploring new recycling methods, we are taking a significant step towards creating a more sustainable future by making it easier for 10 million more people to recycle their electricals."