Recycling small electronic equipment
We collect small electrical items with your weekly recycling collections, in your green or black box, such as:
- small kitchen appliances (such as kettles, toasters, irons )
- hair dryers, hair straighteners and clippers
- clocks, watches, calculators and torches
- remote controls, laptops, mobile phones, cameras and chargers
- small flat screen TVs and monitors
- radios, CD players and MP3 players
- small electronic toys (such as remote control cars)
- small power tools, smoke detectors and thermostats
Please leave cables and plugs attached to items.
Each item should be no larger than something that would fit in a standard carrier bag.
How will small electrical items be collected?
Please place all small electrical items in your recycling box by 6am on your collection day.
Where can I recycle larger electrical items?
Items such as...
- televisions (medium sized and large)
- vacuum cleaners
- cookers, ovens and microwaves
- fridges or freezers
- washing machines and tumble dryers
- large DVD players and large musical equipment
- lawnmowers
...cannot be recycled at the kerbside. Instead, you can take them to a Devon County Council recycling centre (Killacleave in Ilfracombe, Seven Brethren in Barnstaple or Maclins in South Molton).
If you prefer, you can arrange for a bulky waste collection, where we will collect your larger item from the kerbside. Please note, there is a charge for this service.
Why is it important to recycle electrical items?
As technology evolves, older electrical and electronic items are often left unwanted.
Many electrical items, such as mobile phones and handheld computers, contain valuable plastics and metals. With natural resources in limited supply and soaring landfill costs, it is important we recycle these materials so they can be used in new products.
What happens to small electrical items once collected?
Items are shredded to reduce volume and are mechanically separated into their component parts (plastics, ferrous metals and non-ferrous metals). The materials collected will then be used to produce a mixed grade plastic, which can be used to make street furniture. Any metals recovered are taken for reuse to make new products.