WEEE can take it off your hands…
Small waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) can be recycled at your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC), from TVs to electric toothbrushes. Examples of items you can recycle at an HWRC are:
- Kettles and other kitchen electrical appliances
- Broadband routers
- VHS/DVD players
- Old computers and laptops
- Games consoles
- Digital cameras
- Electric toothbrushes
- Children’s toys
- Mobile phones
Remember, you don’t always need to throw away your electrical and electronic items when they become unwanted or broken:
- There are repair cafes located up and down Cornwall offering to extend the life of your equipment whilst helping you get the skills you need to fix things yourself in the future.
- Could your item go to a new home? Charity shops will take and sell on your working electronic items, with the proceeds going to a good cause.
Batteries
In Cornwall, 123 tonnes of batteries are thrown away each year. Whilst the weight sounds minimal, this actually equates to 5.35 million batteries. That’s approximately 20 thrown away per year in each of Cornwall’s 270,000 households.
Batteries can cause problems when processed with rubbish through the Cornwall Energy Recycling Centre. They are also poisonous to our natural environment.
Some advice on batteries:
- Reduce: Please try to use items that can be recharged rather than items that require replaceable batteries.
- Reuse/Recharge: If you need to use replaceable batteries then please invest in some rechargeable ones and a battery charger. In the long term this will save you money and help the environment.
- Recycle: Battery Boxes - fill up a box with “dead” batteries. Once its full, take it to your local HWRC or battery recycling point which can be found in many shops and supermarkets. If you don't know where your nearest battery recycling point is, you can enter your postcode on the ReycleNow website to find your nearest point.