Councils ask residents to recycle their unused cables this International E-Waste Day

Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service is working with Recycle Your Electricals to encourage Cambridgeshire residents to participate in The Great Cable Challenge.

The challenge is a nationwide campaign aimed at tackling the millions of cables sitting idle across UK households. The initiative is part of this year’s International E-Waste Day taking place on October 14.

The aim is to give a second life to the valuable materials contained in cables, such as copper which can be recycled into new items such as wind turbines and new tech like mobile phones, laptops, tablets or smart watches.

The following local venues are hosting temporary indoor collection bins during October where you can drop off your cables or chargers during opening hours:

• Linton Library
• Sawston Library
• Arbury Court Library
• Willingham Library
• Gamlingay Eco-Hub
• Elsworth Village Shop
• Rock Road Library, Cambridge

In addition there are temporary outdoor banks at:

• Haslingfield Village Hall
• Fowlmere High Street, opposite The Chequers.

You can also recycle cables at permanent outdoor collection banks for small electrical items, plus at Curry’s stores, all of which are listed on the locator at www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk

Cllr Natalie Warren-Green, Lead Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Licensing at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “With waste from electrical devices growing all the time we’re really pleased to be able to provide recycling bins for cables and chargers for the duration of October to areas that don’t usually have them. Building on the popularity of our permanent pink bins for e-waste, temporary collection bins for The Great Cable Challenge represent a call to action to check through your drawers for old chargers you don’t need, but also to check the cables you do use for any damage. Using damaged cables can be a fire risk so these really need to be made safe by an expert or recycled.”

The Great Cable Challenge comes as new research commissioned by Recycle Your Electricals reveals that two-in-five UK homes (39%) keep hold of their small electricals in a ‘drawer of doom’ - our secret, often hidden stashes of unused electricals and broken tech found in many households.* In fact, over a quarter of these respondents (28%) said they even felt embarrassed, annoyed or frustrated by the small electricals they store in their homes.* The research also reveals that over a third of UK homes (35%) who hold on to electricals do so because they don't know how to dispose of them properly.*

The good news is that it’s now easier than ever to recycle unused cables and electricals using Recycle Your Electricals’ Recycling Locator which has over 26,000 locations across the UK. Just enter your postcode to find your nearest e-waste recycling point.

With millions of cables cluttering up UK homes, Recycle Your Electricals have published a handy Cable Guide. With 35 of the most used cables, the guide provides easy to use visuals to match cables to their original electricals. If the electricals or the cables are no longer working or they aren’t needed anymore, simply bag up your cables and recycle them! You can view the Cable Guide HERE.

Cllr Rosy Moore, Executive Councillor for Climate Action and Environment at Cambridge City Council, said: “While taking part in the challenge and going through your old electricals, I’d like to remind residents that broken items can often be repaired, preventing them from having to be recycled at all. Please do speak to your local volunteer-run Repair Café to see if this is possible – you can find events listed at cambridgecarbonfootprint.org, including three on International Repair Day which is October 19.”

International E-Waste Day (IEWD) 2024 aims to encourage householders to participate in this year’s campaign by encouraging everyone to recycle their cables and their household electricals.