It is really easy to recycle your old electrical items and used household batteries.
Put your small electrical item(s) in a carrier bag, tie up the bag and place it next to your waste or recycling on your normal collection day.
Please note, electrical items and used batteries should be put out for collection in separate carrier bags.
This can either be your Blue bin or Green bin collection day.
In order to collect these items, we must store them separately on the refuse collection vehicles - all of which have been fitted with a small compartment that can accommodate items no larger than 35cm by 40cm.
Storage space is limited so please present items individually where possible rather than storing and presenting several items together.
What can be collected
Yes Please
- Kettles, toasters, irons and other small kitchen appliances
- Hairdryers, hair straighteners and hair clippers
- Clocks, watches, calculators and torches
- Remote controllers, mobile phones, cameras and chargers
- Mobile phones and laptop batteries
- Radios, alarms, mini hi-fi's and CD and MP3 Players
- Small electronic toys e.g. remote control cars
- Power tools, smoke detectors and thermostats
- Used household batteries (place in a separate bag)
- Any small electrical item with a plug or that uses batteries
No Thanks
- Light bulbs, fluorescent tubes
- Televisions, computer monitors of any size and laptops
- Fridges and freezers
- Washing machines, cookers and microwave ovens
- Anything that will not fit inside a standard-sized carrier bag
- Glass/ceramic electrical items e.g. slow cookers or glass kettles
Please remember - items that are too large or not listed above will not be collected.
Leave any cables and plugs attached to any electrical items and appliances.
Remove all batteries from electrical items and place the bagged batteries into the carrier bag.
Batteries are recycled by heat treatment and therefore have to be sent to a different re-processor than that of the unwanted electrical items. The batteries are taken out of the carrier bags at the depot in Stafford and stored separately. If the batteries are left in the electrical equipment it makes the separation more difficult for sorting and recycling.
Items listed in the No Thanks section can be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centres at St Albans Road, Stafford and Beacon Road, Stone for reprocessing.
More than one carrier bag needs collecting
Space is very limited on the collection trucks therefore it is preferable if you put the items out as they become unwanted and not store them until you have several items. If more than one bag is put out for collection it will be at the discretion of the collector and the space available on the truck.
Don’t forget the items can be put out on either the green bin or blue bin collection day.
Car batteries
Unfortunately, as car batteries contain acid they cannot be taken on this new kerbside collection of unwanted electrical items. Car batteries can be disposed of at the Household Waste Recycling Centres in Stafford and Stone.
Why unwanted items can't go in the blue bin
Electrical items are stripped down to the component parts e.g. metals and plastics so cannot be recycled along with the contents of the blue bin which include cans, cardboard packaging and glass which are sorted by conveyor belts at the MRF (Materials Recycling Facility).
Why items need to go in a carrier bag
By putting the items in a carrier bag it not only contains the items in a neat and tidy manner but also enables you to manage and gauge the size of the items that we can take.
Where to leave your items
It is preferable to leave your items at the side of the bin rather than the top for safety reasons. Items could be knocked by passers by or blown off in the wind.