Join The Great Cable Challenge
This October, we’re working with Recycle Your Electricals to encourage Essex residents to take part in The Great Cable Challenge. This is a nationwide call to action to tackle the millions of cables and other electricals sitting idle or thrown away across UK households.
Across the UK, we bin and stash away 627 million unused cables - enough to reach the moon and back! This is part of the growing e-waste challenge, which is now the fastest growing source of waste in the world, and in the UK.
Cables when recycled can save valuable copper being lost forever. By recycling these cables and other old electricals, the valuable materials inside can be reused and recycled into new items. This can include mobile phones, laptops, smart watches, and even medical equipment.
Where you can recycle cables
In Essex, small electrical items (including cables) can be recycled at all 21 recycling centres and in some libraries.
If you live in Chelmsford, Epping, or Uttlesford, you can even recycle them with your kerbside collections!
Find out how to dispose of electrical items.
Check if you need the cables
If you’re not sure if you still need a cable, Recycle Your Electricals has 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!
What happens next...
And if you want to know what happens to them next…watch our video on electrical waste in Essex: