Category: Disposal

Disposing of old electronic equipment is an increasing problem for many households as many items fall into the category of electronics including alarm clocks; CD/DVD players and game consoles; small kitchen appliances such as kettles, toasters and blenders; personal grooming products like hairdryers, straighteners, electric toothbrushes and shavers; garden tools such as lawnmowers and shredders; other items such as lamps, torches, vacuum cleaners, phones, radios, TVs, printers, cameras and smoke alarms. Some local authorities collect small electrical items as part of their kerbside collection, otherwise you can recycle these and larger items at selected retailers and at Household Waste Recycling Centres.

It is easy to check if an electrical item, toy or game is recyclable if it has reached the end of its working life. Some will have a sticker saying not recyclable but if not then advice can be sought from your local recycling centre.

When recycling computers and phones it is important to delete any personal information that may be held on the device by doing a factory reset if the appliance is working or by removing the hard drive and destroying it.

If you have an electrical item that is still in good working condition, you could consider selling it, passing it on to someone else or donating it – some charity shops accept working electrical items for resale.

If you have recently ordered a new fridge, freezer, washing machine etc. then you will often need to get rid of the old one before it arrives (or shortly after) to make room. If the appliance has stopped working and is relatively old then you may just take it to the tip, but if it is ok just not suitable for you anymore then you may want to sell it.

There are a number of ways in which you can sell old appliances but lots of people are turning to the internet to assist them. Places such as Ebay and Gumtree allow you to list items for sale that you no longer want or need. On Ebay you can offer to deliver the item and with its payment system, you can be sure that funds have been received before you dispatch and item. Gumtree is used more for local collections as there is no way to pay through the site.

If the item is not working but still has plenty of life left in it then you may want to sell it to a repair show or donate it to them. It may be of no use to you but they might be able to get it working again or strip it down to use for spare parts.

Social media sites such as Facebook make it easy to sell items locally. It also has no payment facility, so you need to arrange this yourself with the buyer, but you can list a product that can be seen instantly by a large number of people in a group.

It is very easy to quickly accumulate old furniture and items that we no longer want or need in our homes and the longer this goes on the more space they take up and the harder the task becomes to have a clear out. When the time comes that you no longer want or need an item you think straight away about how you are going to dispose of it. Some things may need to go in the bin or household recycling but others may require a bit more thought. If you like crafts and decorating then you may be tempted to try and upcycle it. Many household items can be given a new lease of life with a coat of paint and even if you do not want it you may find that you can sell it.

With places like Facebook market, EBay and Gumtree it is even easier now to sell items you no longer have use for and get a bit of money back.  Think carefully when you are creating your ad and always include good quality images. Be sure to point out any damage as you will only waste yours and the potential buyer’s time if you do not.

There is often a bit of confusion when it comes to disposing of batteries. Some people think it is fine to chuck all batteries in the normal waste whereas other people think that they need to be disposed of as hazardous waste properly at designated places. There are different rules for different types of batteries and that is because of the material that is inside them. Most alkaline batteries do not contain mercury and are composed primarily of common metals such as steel, zinc, and manganese. This means they do not pose a health or environmental risk during normal use or disposal, so, therefore, can be chucked in with your normal household waste.

Car batteries cannot be disposed of in normal waste (this is by law) and will either need to be taken to a garage or a waste site that accepts them. If you are having a battery replaced then ask the garage if they will dispose of your old one. They may charge you a small fee to do this.

You may want to send your batteries to be recycled instead. Often your local council will collect batteries that are left out with the normal recycling collection, but always call and check first.

Every year on average three million fridges ae disposed of. Many of the substances found within refrigerators can be hazardous to the environment and therefor need to be disposed of correctly to avoid contamination.

It can be expensive to dispose of a fridge but do not be tempted to opt for a cheaper company with little or no references as unfortunately these companies sometime fly tip and leave your fridge on the side of a road or bury it in the ground somewhere. Whenever you use a company to dispose of products for you be sure to get a written receipt to price that you have paid them to take it away and dispose of it responsibly.

Many household recycling centres have a place that you put a fridge ensuring that it will be disposed of in the correct way. They often do not charge for this service but you will have to take it there yourself.