Recycling bins in local public libraries and new doorstep collection plans unveiled.
Cumberland Council, in partnership with Cumbrian recycling company, CRL, announces its plans for the Small Electricals Recycling Project. Launching at The Beacon, Whitehaven on Saturday 13 January. It is hoped that all local residents, 125,000 households, will get behind the drive and increase small electricals recycling in the area.
The project will see new recycling bins placed in key locations around the community; across 26 local libraries and sports facilities, with the aim to increase to 41 locations in 2024, making recycling small electrical items easier for the local communities, and reminding residents that anything with a plug, cable or battery can be recycled.
In addition to the new recycling bins, Cumberland Council also confirmed a new weekly doorstep collection in some areas will begin on 5 February. A list of all the new recycling locations for electricals can be found at the Recycle Your Electricals website.
This is one of over 40 UK projects funded by Material Focus, the not for profit leading the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, who have provided £62,744 for the Small Electricals Recycling Project. Cumberland Council will lead the way locally and join other projects around the country in making it easier for 10 million UK residents to recycle their electricals.
The Small Electricals Recycling Project launch event at The Beacon, Whitehaven, will be fun and educational. Visitors will be offered information highlighting why recycling electricals is so important and reminded that recycled items can be reused or the precious materials inside can be recycled for other uses. Visitors to the event will also have the opportunity to take part in a recycling game for all the family, to test their knowledge on the new recycling locations in the local area.
Once the project has launched, all electricals will be collected by Cumberland Council and CRL for sorting, reuse and recycling.
Residents will be made aware of how and where they can recycle their electricals through information on leaflets and on eye-catching posters featuring HypnoCat. 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.
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 5.5 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, even if it’s just a drawer of cables - millions of electrical items are hoarded in UK homes. And yet 39% of people bin electricals rather than recycle them say they think it’s simply too hard to recycle. The aim of these projects is to overcome these issues by making it easier to recycle electricals.
Cllr Denise Rollo, Cumberland Council, Executive Member for Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places, said;
"It’s fantastic to be able to offer this new service on a trial basis thanks to the support from Material Focus. If you are hoarding old electricals that you no longer need, I would ask everybody to find your nearest new collection point and donate any of your unwanted small electrical items."
Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus, said;
"We are pleased to support Cumberland’s Small Electricals Recycling Project that addresses the pressing issue of e-waste. 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."
To find your nearest recycling point search recycle your electricals