Pollution Free Disposal Of Small Electrical Items: Do’s And Don’ts

Has your kettle stopped working? Is your mobile phone dead after falling into the water? Moreover, it does not end here. There is a never-ending list of defective electrical items lying around your home? You might be thinking can I put small electrical items in the recycle bin? In this guide, I will provide you with the information you need to help you correctly dispose of these unwanted products. You must think of an eco-friendly way to conduct the disposal of small electrical items.

And that’s only possible through RECYCLING!

There are a variety of electrical items that can be recycled e.g. toaster, iron, cameras, power drills, mobile phones and battery operated items like toys or TV remotes etc.

Advice For Effective Disposal Of Small Electrical Items

Never throw your batteries and electronic items in bins without assessing if you can recycle them first.

Recycling is the most effective and sustainable way of disposing of faulty electrical items. Statistics show that approximately 170 million electrical items are purchased every year in the UK. Out of which only one-third portion is recycled when the appliances reach the end of its lifecycle.

There are several significant reasons for recycling electrical items.

Let us find out why you should recycle electrical items.

• Recycling electrical items can provide you with a lot of useful materials and metals like iron, gold and steel etc.
• It also keeps the environment safe from all the hazardous waste that could have entered the landfills if dumped into bins.
• You can find and re-use some of the useful components from the electrical appliances.

Read this blog post on How to recover data from a broken phone in a simple and easy way.

Recycling Electrical Items: Do’s

There are a few steps, which you need to follow before recycling electrical goods.  We will discuss them one by one.

Identify A Recyclable Electrical Item

Your electrical appliance is no longer usable and you want to check whether it is recyclable or not?

Then go through this checklist:

• Are there any plugs in your electrical items?
• Is it battery operated?
• Check whether it requires charging.
• Is there a picture displaying a crossed-out bin on it?

If any of these elements are applicable, then the electronics are recyclable.

Read more: Broken Laptop Disposal Guide | How to Get Rid of your Old Laptop

Think Of Other Ways To Take Advantage Of It

Is your electrical item in working order but you still want to discard of it?

Then consider making the most out of it by sharing its benefits with others.

• You can sell it and earn money.
• You can gift it to somebody else.
• It can be donate to some charitable organisations.

Send It For Recycling

However, the best and the most suitable option to recycle an electrical item is to send it to an IT recycling company.

For example, if you have a mobile phone, iPad or a laptop and you are sending it for recycling then you have to be cautious.

You must remove all your personal information from the device. As it will save your data from being compromised or used by any other person, using cookies is essential.

Recycling Electrical Items: Don’ts

There are a few things to avoid while recycling electrical equipment.

• Never put electric wires or cords in your recycling bin because they can tangle and snag the equipment of the e-waste recycling companies.
• Never send lithium-ion batteries or rechargeable batteries to recycling facilities. They can cause a fire.
• Do not dump your electronics like hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, toasters etc. in your bin. Instead, find a suitable place or recycling program to do that.
• Do not try to recycle light bulbs.

Read this article on How To Dispose Of Laptop Battery | Everything You Need To Know Is Right Here.

Where Can You Recycle Electrical Items?

Until now, we have discussed what needs to be done and what needs to be avoided while recycling electrical appliances and items.

Now we will move on to a very important question that might pop up in your mind while reading this blog.

The question is, “Where can I recycle electrical items?”

Well, it is not a difficult task anymore. Many e-waste recycling companies are working nowadays to take care of your electrical items nationwide.

Such companies are authorised to recycle your Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).

They have all the necessary equipment, that is required to process the e-waste.

• You can locate the nearest local recycling centre or company and take your equipment to them.
• Many recycling companies also offer a collection service from your home.
• The equipment moves through the conveyor belts after its collection.
• Here various types of plastics and useful components are filtered out.
• The shredder then breaks the rest of the body into small pieces.

Such recycling companies also remove precious metals like copper and gold from electrical items because such metals are hard to find now.

Moreover, they contribute to environment-friendly disposal of small electrical items.

Read more: A Basic Guide on Electrical Waste

What is WEEE And What Does It Include?

You must be wondering what this WEEE is.

Well, as mentioned above WEEE includes all the electrical and electronic equipment. It is becoming the fastest growing e-waste stream.

Approximately, 1 million ton of WEEE is trashed in the UK annually. This type of waste has numerous precious metals and other valuable materials, which you can re-use for better purposes like making recycled products. Now it is your responsibility to ensure safe disposal of small electrical items.

We have classified WEEE into two categories.

You will find many IT equipment recycling companies in the UK that are playing their role to attempt to protect the environment. Eco Green IT Recycling is one of such reputable e-waste recycling companies. You can easily send your electrical equipment to them and they will recycle it according to the best standards. Therefore, be a responsible citizen and recycle your small electrical items instead of disposing them of in bins.

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