West Suffolk celebrates success of local small electrical recycling scheme

26 Oct 2026

West Suffolk residents have helped recycle over 30 tonnes of small electricals as part of the electrical recycling scheme, which was launched in November 2025.  

The scheme encouraged residents across West Suffolk to recycle small electricals including mobile phones, tablets, cables, kettles, toasters and children’s toys, as long as they were smaller than a microwave. The pilot has now ended and West Suffolk Council confirms that small electricals will continue to be recycled and collected across the district.

This pilot has demonstrated how committed the local community is to recycling their small electricals, when simple recycling methods are made accessible.

The 18 collection bins have been installed at existing mini recycling centres, as well as in busy car park locations in Brandon, Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill, Newmarket and Red Lodge, making recycling that much easier.

Consistent reminders on social media from Hypnocat, the Recycle Your Electricals mesmerising pink, fluffy mascot, helped raise awareness that anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled and turned into something new, ran alongside the pilot.

West Suffolk Council joined one of 80 pilots around the country funded by Material Focus, the not-for-profit leading the national ‘Recycle Your Electricals’ campaign, making it easier for over 13.5 million UK residents to recycle their electricals.

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 pilots have been funded by Material Focus include a variety of recycling methods, from kerbside collections to more drop-off points in schools and community centres. Overall, there will be over 1000 new collection points plus kerbside collections for 3 million residents nationwide.

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 pilots is to overcome these issues by making it easier to repair, donate or recycle electricals.

Cllr David Taylor, Cabinet Member for Operations, said: “The council remains committed to cutting waste and ensuring West Suffolk continues to be a clean and thriving place to live. The introduction of the electrical recycling points has given residents an easy and convenient way to safely recycle unwanted electrical items and appliances. The initiative has benefitted our local community while also contributing to the environmental resilience of the district.”

Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus, said: "The electrical recycling campaign has proven that small electrical recycling is important to the area and its residents.  We are delighted with how engaged and supportive the local community has been and how the investment from the Electrical Recycling Fund has enabled such a huge number of items to be recycled by this pilot. As e-waste is the fastest growing waste stream, we hope to continue to see a rise in the amount of electricals recycled across the UK.”

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

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