- Recycle Your Electricals is launching ‘The Great Cable Challenge’ – calling on households across the UK to take part and collectively recycle one million cables, helping to reduce e-waste.
- If one million people recycled one cable, 5,000 kg of copper could be recycled into something new such as tech, and wind turbines
- Renewi, working in partnership with Wakefield Council, is supporting the campaign to help show how easy it is to recycle your unused electricals this International E-Waste Day and de-clutter your drawers!
Renewi, working in partnership with Wakefield Council, is working with Recycle Your Electricals to encourage Wakefield District secondary school students to participate in The Great Cable Challenge – 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 which is taking place on the 14th October.
The Great Cable Challenge aims to give a second life to the valuable materials contained in cables, such as copper. Millions of cables and other electricals are sitting idle in our homes or thrown away with thousands of tonnes of copper going to waste.
Instead, copper can be recycled into new items such as wind turbines and new tech such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smart watches.
Participating secondary schools in Wakefield will each have a designated cable bin where students can deposit their unwanted electrical items during the two-week competition period. The school that collects the most items will win a brand-new Hisense 50” 4K TV, generously donated by Wastecare, our electrical recycling partners.
“We’re thrilled to be part of this important initiative and to see the enthusiasm from our local schools. Recycling is vital for our environment, and this competition makes it fun and rewarding for students to contribute,” said Drew Pearson, Contract Director of Renewi, Wakefield.
Cllr Jack Hemingway, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, said: “We hope this challenge inspires more people to think twice before throwing away old cables and electronics. Every small item recycled makes a big difference.”
The good news for all residents is that it’s now easier than ever to recycle unused cables and electricals using Recycle Your Electricals’ Recycling Locator. Just enter your postcode to find your nearest recycling point which has over 26,000 locations across the UK.
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.
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.
To find out how your school can take part, please contact:
Moira Mattingley-Nunn
Education Manager
Moira.mattingley-nunn@biffa.co.uk
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About International E-Waste Day
IEWD was founded by the WEEE Forum, the international association representing producer responsibility organisations. The UK lead member is REPIC. IEWD is open to any one to participate. Stay tuned for more details on how your organisation can get involved and make a difference on International E-Waste Day by emailing hello@materialfocus.org.uk.
About Material Focus
Material Focus is a not-for-profit organisation whose goal is to stop the nation throwing away or hoarding all their old, small electricals. Material Focus is delivering the UK-wide Recycle Your Electricals campaign. The campaign is revealing the value hidden in electricals and is making it easier for us all to recycle and reuse the small electricals we no longer need by providing more recycling points as well as providing practical information on how households can reuse and recycle.
The campaign is funded by producers of electrical appliances which pays for a range of activities, including communications, behaviour change activities, increased recycling projects and research. Ultimately the aim is to support actions that will help the UK increase the levels of reuse and recycling of waste electricals.
