West Suffolk residents urged to recycle their electricals with 18 new small electrical recycling points across the district

06 Nov 2025

West Suffolk Council today unveils its plans for increased local small electrical recycling with the installation of 18 new striking pink electrical recycling bins across the district. 

Available from today, the hope is that 83,720 households across the community will get behind its drive to recycle their electricals.

This is one of over 60 UK projects funded by Material Focus, the not-for-profit leading the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, who have provided £34,822 to support this project. West Suffolk Council is joining other projects around the country in making it easier for 10 million UK residents to recycle their electricals. 

This initiative creates an easier electrical recycling option for locals. The 18 new collection bins are positioned next to the textile and glass recycling banks already in place, making it easier for residents to recycle small electrical items.

The new bins can be filled with small electricals including mobile phones, tablets, cables, kettles, toasters and kids toys - anything smaller than a standard sized microwave.

The 18 new collection bins have been installed at existing mini recycling centres, many in busy car park locations in Brandon, Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill, Newmarket and Red Lodge. You can view all bin locations here: Find my nearest

Residents will be made aware of how and where they can recycle their electricals through a hyper local social media campaign and new educational signage on recycling electricals safely, which will be positioned directly on the collection bins. Posters will be visible on notice boards in busy locations and adverts are planned to run in parish magazines. Keep an eye out for HypnoCat, the Recycle Your Electricals mesmerising pink, fluffy mascot, who is on a mission to hypnotise local residents into recycling their electricals.

This project is part of the new 2025 Electricals Recycling Fund where Material Focus has allocated an additional £750,000. The aim of the nationwide Electricals Recycling Fund is to significantly reduce e-waste and its environmental impact by making it easier for consumers to recycle their electricals. The projects funded by Material Focus include a variety of recycling methods, from kerbside collections to more drop-off points in schools, community centres, and bring banks. Overall, there will be over 400 new collection points plus kerbside collections for 3 million residents - together helping 10 million UK residents to recycle their electricals. 

Recycle Your Electricals research has shown that 80 per cent of consumers believe recycling is a good thing, and many of us already recycle things like paper and plastic. Research has also shown that most of us have unwanted electricals we want to get rid of. On average there are at least 30 electricals hidden away in drawers in UK homes, a total of 880 million items across the UK - with a simple repair many could be donated or sold to people who could put them to good use. And yet 39 per cent of people bin electricals, rather than recycle or reuse them leading to over 100,000 tonnes of electricals thrown away every year. The aim of these projects is to overcome these issues by making it easier to repair, donate or recycle electricals. 

Cllr David Taylor, Cabinet Member for Operations, said: “As a council, we are committed to reducing waste and making West Suffolk a thriving and clean place to live. The new electrical recycling points will provide residents with a simple and convenient way to dispose of old gadgets and appliances safely. This initiative will not only benefit our community but also help improve the environmental resilience of the district.”

"We are pleased to support West Suffolk Council with this project that addresses the pressing issue of e-waste.” said Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus. “By investing in improved collection and drop-off services and exploring new recycling methods, we are taking a significant step towards creating a more sustainable future by making it easier for 10 million more people to recycle their electricals.”

To find your nearest recycling point visit: Material Focus - Recycle Your Electricals

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