24/09/2024 - Luton Council urges residents to recycle their electricals via new £63,000 project

Luton Council unveils its plans for Luton Electricals Recycling, its project to encourage recycling small electrical items across the town. 

The Luton Electricals Recycling project launches on 28 September in the hope that residents in the local community will get behind its drive to recycle their electricals. Launched in the run up to International E-Waste Day (14th October), the project will help make recycling more accessible with the creation of a network of drop-off collection points, which will be found in places such as schools, community centres and libraries.

This is one of over 40 UK projects funded by Material Focus, the not-for-profit leading the Recycle Your Electricals campaign. The £63,000 project will lead the way locally, joining other projects around the country to make it easier for 10 million UK residents to recycle their electricals.

The scheme will deliver a simple, sustainable, accessible and easy-to-use recycling collection system and encourage an increase in the recycling of all electricals in the local area. It is hoped that this project will be instrumental in diverting over 80 tonnes of electrical items per year, via the collection and drop-off points. It will also play a role in encouraging local schools, community centres, libraries, leisure centres and other partners to join and get involved.

The Luton Electricals Recycling project launch event will take place from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 28 September at Central Square in The Point, Luton, and will feature storyteller Aaron Spendelow presenting an interactive experience dubbed the ‘HypnoCat Gameshow’, with the opportunity for families to win some prizes, as well as arts and crafts for kids and families. Residents will be able to bring along their cables and recycle them as part of The Great Cable Challenge.

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 more than 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. 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 and recycle electricals.

Gerard McCleave, Corporate Director for Inclusive Economy, said: “This is a great opportunity for Luton residents to recycle any unwanted small electrical items found in their cupboards and drawers and dispose of them at one of our designated recycling drop-off points. We will collect electricals from drop-off points in the town, and we hope that encouraging people to recycle their electrical items responsibly, rather than disposing of them in black bins, will help to prevent fires at our waste facilities while also saving valuable resources.”

"We are pleased to support the Luton Council project 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."

In celebration of International E-Waste Day (14th Oct) Recycle Your Electricals is launching The Great Cable Challenge, calling on all UK households to take part and collectively recycle one million cables, helping to reduce e-waste. Local residents can get involved in International E-waste Day locally by participating in Luton Electricals Recycling. 

Local drop-off points can be found on the Recycle Your Electricals website.