An open kitchen drawer crammed with old mobile phones, tangled charging cables, earphones and a remote control
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.
doodlegadget

WHAT UK GUIDANCE SAYS

Empty
the drawer.

NOT IN THE BIN look for the symbol

  • Never in the bin
  • Shops take them back
  • Tape lithium terminals
  • Gadget recycling in three lines

That box of old chargers and phones is worth recycling.

Electricals and batteries carry a crossed-out wheelie bin symbol: they should not go in household rubbish. Shops that sell electricals and batteries have duties to take old ones back, often for free.

Updated

Where can it go?

THE SHORT ANSWER

Shops, tips,
never the bin.

Most gadgets can go back to a shop or a recycling centre.
Batteries have their own drop-off points.

THE DRAWER

Millions of items waiting

Defra estimated in 2023 that UK homes hoard 527 million unwanted electrical items containing materials such as gold, silver and platinum.

See the numbers

BATTERIES

Drop them at the shop

Most batteries can go to a supermarket or any shop selling over 32 kg of batteries a year. Tape the terminals of lithium batteries first to cut the fire risk.

Where can it go?

SWAP

Old for new, free

When you buy a new electrical item, the retailer must take the old one back free, like for like, whether you buy online or in store.

Your options

A QUICK ITEM CHECK

Where can
this go?

Pick an item to see what GOV.UK guidance says. The bar shows how strongly the rules steer it away from your household bin.

Item check

Choose an item
Old kettle, buying a new oneRetailer takes it

The retailer must take back an item of the same type or function for free, online or in store, and give you at least 28 days to bring it back.

Electric toothbrush, nothing to buyBig shops take it

Shops with over 400 square metres of electrical sales space must take items under 25 cm on their longest side for free, even if you buy nothing.

Used AA batteriesBattery drop-off

Take them to a supermarket or other shop selling over 32 kg of batteries a year. Portable, button and rechargeable batteries all go here.

Vape or calculator with built-in batteryTreat as electrical

Where the battery cannot be taken out, the whole item is treated as an electrical product, not put in a battery box.

Loose lithium batteryNever in the bin

Lithium-ion batteries can catch fire in a rubbish bin, especially if wet or damaged. Tape the terminals and use a battery collection point.

Sources: OPSS, Consumer products: recycling batteries and electrical waste (2024); GOV.UK, Electrical waste: retailer and distributor responsibilities.

Based on OPSS consumer guidance and GOV.UK guidance on retailers' take-back duties. Your council's recycling centre takes electricals too.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

Binned
and hoarded.

Defra estimates published in December 2023
alongside proposals to reform electrical waste rules.

155,000 tonnes

Small electricals wrongly thrown in the bin each year

Items such as cables, toasters, kettles and power tools, estimated to end up in household bins every year.

BINNED · DEFRA 2023

527 million

Unwanted electrical items kept in UK homes

Containing valuable materials such as gold, silver and platinum that could be recovered.

HOARDED · DEFRA 2023

In December 2024 the government announced that online marketplaces and vape producers will pay their share of the cost of recycling waste electricals.

FOUR PLACES TO TAKE OLD GADGETS

Easier than
a trip to the tip.

An old electric kettle in a cardboard box by a front door, ready to hand back when a new one is delivered
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

These options come from GOV.UK guidance for consumers and retailers.

  1. The shop you buy from

    Retailers must offer free like-for-like take back, or belong to a scheme that provides it. They must tell you which service they offer.

  2. Any large electrical shop

    Items under 25 cm can go to stores with over 400 square metres of electrical sales space, free, without buying anything.

  3. The supermarket battery box

    Shops selling over 32 kg of batteries a year should have a collection point for portable batteries.

  4. Your local recycling centre

    Household waste recycling centres take waste electricals and keep them separate from other rubbish.

WHY IT MATTERS

Metals to recover,
fires to prevent.

A small cardboard box of used household batteries ready to take to a shop collection point
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

OPSS says waste batteries and electricals can leak toxic chemicals in landfill, while recycling plants can extract metals and other valuable resources for new products.

There is also a safety reason: lithium-ion batteries can catch fire if dumped in a rubbish bin, particularly if wet or damaged. Defra notes that electrical components and chemicals can pose a health and safety risk to the waste industry.

Questions

Questions people ask

Can I put old electricals in my household bin?

No. Batteries and electrical products carry a crossed-out wheelie bin symbol, which means they should not go in household rubbish but to a collection point for recycling.

Will a shop take my old item back?

If you buy a new one, the retailer must take the old one back free on a like-for-like basis, online or in store. Large electrical shops must also take small items under 25 cm free without a purchase.

Where do I recycle batteries?

At supermarkets and other shops selling over 32 kg of batteries a year, which should have a collection point. Tape lithium battery terminals first.

What about vapes and items with built-in batteries?

If the battery cannot be removed, as in calculators and e-cigarettes, treat the whole item as an electrical product and take it to an electrical collection point.

Why are lithium batteries dangerous in the bin?

OPSS says lithium-ion batteries can catch fire if dumped in a rubbish bin, particularly if they get wet or are damaged.

Sources

Where the facts come from

  1. OPSS (GOV.UK): Consumer products, recycling batteries and electrical waste
  2. GOV.UK: Electrical waste, retailer and distributor responsibilities
  3. Defra (GOV.UK): Government reforms set to spark greater reuse and recycling of electrical goods (2023)
  4. Defra (GOV.UK): Online giants to pay their fair share for electrical waste (2024)

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