Small electricals: A reader writes…
Jane T emailed Lewes Climate Hub asking: “Do you know if there is anywhere in Lewes that takes old light bulbs and small electrical equipment for people who don’t have a car to get to the tip.” Ann Link gave this response.
Hi Jane
To answer your question, I thought I’d have a look via the waste section of Lewes District Council website and found this: https://www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/electrical-recycling-near-me/
I remember from a talk on waste and recycling that Lewes Climate Hub hosted earlier this year, that stores should take back small items they sell, such as light bulbs and small electrical and electronic devices. However, according to the Recycle Your Electricals website, the nearest stores to me in Lewes to do so are in Brighton! They are a Co-op and a Tesco in Woodingdean. So that leads me to believe that Tesco (or Aldi or maybe Waitrose) here should also take lightbulbs etc. I don’t think they’d take larger items, but it would be great if people would ask what they DO take – then let us know.
As to disposing of larger electrical items, where I live on the Nevill Estate people often ask on the community WhatsApp if there is anyone going to the tip who might also take someone else’s stuff. And often someone can. But this is not ideal!
There should be a better option, as it’s really important that these items are not thrown in the bin (see box below).
Laws on taking back electrical equipment
- Stores that sell such items should obviously take responsibility. In fact, according to a government website, there are clear laws on companies taking back Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (or ‘WEEE’).
- Any large shop that sells electricals will take your old item if you buy new from them
- You have 28 days after buying something new to take your old one in for recycling – and it doesn’t need to have come from the same shop
- Some big stores will accept old electronics from you whether you’re buying from them or not. Currys PC World, B&Q, and John Lewis will take back all electricals – without the need to buy a new one.
- Participating stores will make sure the precious materials in your dear old vacuum cleaner/toaster/torch are recycled and disposed of properly to be reborn as useful new products
There are also some helpful FAQs on this page.
Large, big brand shops must also accept small items (less than 25 cm on their longest side) for free from private household customers at their retail site or close to it without the requirement to purchase any new electronic items. In other words, take-back of electronic items depends on the size of the store.
What we found out
In Lewes, Tesco, Waitrose, Homebase and Argos should accept light bulbs and other small items even if you have not purchased them in the store. They will accept larger items when you buy a similar item.
Argos nationally say: If you have an old electronic item, bring it into store and we can safely recycle, refurbish or resell these items for free, with the following guidelines:
- Our store must sell a similar item to the one you’re recycling
- You have purchased a replacement item from us within the last 28 days
- You can provide proof of purchase
- Only one item can be exchanged when purchasing a new one.
So this is likely to be the case with other retailers. It might be a matter of getting local stores to advertise a ‘take-back’ service more clearly.
Options for other small electronics
Any shop that sells batteries must accept old ones. Local supermarkets have a bin you can put them in – just ask in-store. Likewise, anywhere selling mobile phones, e-cigarettes and vapes is obliged to take back old ones.
Some items can be repaired, such as TV screens and kettles – check with Lewes Repair Cafe. The Repair Cafe has an interesting section (https://www.lewesrepaircafe.org.uk/why-repair) which leads to information and videos about how to repair dozens of types of items yourself, with a link to the Right to Repair European campaign.
As a final port of call, quite unlikely items are sometimes wanted by someone on Freegle. So it’s always worth listing items there.
Further information and action
If you want to learn more, Recycle Your Electricals is a brilliant resource that explains in simple language what stores are obliged to do and why, and helps to locate nearby stores.
We think there is a real gap here locally. Until the Ham Lane recycling site is more accessible to non-car drivers, we would be grateful if readers would keep asking in our larger shops about their policy on taking back electrical items – both large and small. After all, all stores ought to make it easy to do the correct (and less polluting) thing when products reach the end of life.
Why is e-waste regulated?Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) often contain batteries, which are notorious for causing fires in bins, in refuse and recycling lorries and at recycling sites. They also feature metals that ought to be reclaimed to reduce mining pollution and which may be poisonous. Compact fluorescent lightbulbs contain mercury, which is hazardous and difficult to control. There are plastics which should not be burnt. The World Health Organisation is concerned about the effects of poor processing of electronic waste – the fastest growing form of waste. Read reports here and here. The good news is that there is a quite a strong market for recycling electronics, including firms in the UK such as DCW in Devon. Read more about it and how e-waste is recycled here. |
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