Recycling electrical goods guide

Once you've finished with an electrical appliance do you find yourself wondering how to dispose of it? It is a bit of a minefield, because you know it's probably not a good idea to put it in your bin as it will end up on a landfill site. That's not good. An electrical appliance decomposes on a landfill site over time, it can contaminate the soil and water.

What you may not know is that the parts that go into making an appliance could quite easily be used to make something else, so all of it's recyclable, and with that in mind, this week, we're going to talk about recycling electrical goods. Our team of electricians in Edinburgh are all for recycling because we care about the environment and we encourage our customers to care about it too, and to dispose of their old appliances safely so they can be recycled.

Why recycle electrical items?

As we've already mentioned, once electrical appliances have been dumped on a landfill site in the traditional way you dispose of garbage, it can start to decompose. It can then contaminate the land and soil, and that's not good for the environment.

The materials that go into making an electrical appliance, such as steel and iron can go on to make other things, so all of it is recyclable. You can have peace of mind knowing that you're doing something really worthwhile in taking your electrical equipment to be recycled and doing your bit to help the environment.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE)

Do you know what the WEEE is? Well this is a European Directive that governs how we recycle electrical equipment. They monitor how much of electrical equipment is sent to landfill sites and work hard to stop this from happening. They also try to find better and simpler ways for you to recycle your old equipment.

Which old electrical goods can be recycled?

You'll find that most electrical items can be recycled if they have either a battery or a plug. This can include small items such as irons and toasters, and larger appliances such as freezers and dishwashers. Laptops, printers, fax machines and anything to do with IT can also be recycled. Electrical tools and anything you use on your hair such as hair-dryers, or in the bathroom such as electrical toothbrushes can be taken to a recycling centre. As long as your item contains a plug or a battery, or charger and also carries a WEEE logo with a wheelie bin, (this will normally be a small picture of a wheelie bin with a cross on it) then it's good to go for recycling, and not the landfill site.

How do I recycle it? Where do I take it?

You can take your old electrical items to a recycling centre near you and you can get in touch with your local authority to find the nearest one to where you live. Technically, under this Directive (WEEE), all the retailers that sell you electrical goods should provide their customers with a place to dispose of old electrical items. This should either be a scheme where they take the equipment back off you or their own collection service. You should check this with the retailer who you buy your equipment from.

Get in touch with your council because they may already have started collecting recyclable goods from your home, so they might also have a service where they collect electrical items, it's worth asking about.

VC Electrical – responsible electricians Edinburgh

For any responsible electrician in Edinburgh it should be top of their priority to ensure all customers are aware of how to dispose of electrical items safely so they can be recycled. Here at VC Electrical we make it our business as responsible electricians in Edinburgh to give advice to our customers on disposing of electrical equipment safely, and we always make sure we send all our old equipment and parts on for recycling once we're done with them.

If you have any questions you need answering on recycling electrical goods, then please get in touch, we'll be happy to help.