The scheme is set to launch next week
The pilot scheme aims to encourage residents to dispose of their unwanted small electronics (Image: Spelthorne Borough Council)
A Surrey area is set to receive new pink bins in a trial scheme which aims to encourage residents to dispose of their disused small electronics. The pilot scheme will “make it much easier” for residents to “do the right thing” with their unwanted electrical items, according to the borough council behind it.
It is part of a national scheme spearheaded by Material Focus, a not-for-profit organisation whose goal is to stop the nation hoarding all their old small electricals. However, it will only be coming to a specific area in the county.
This week, Spelthorne Borough Council revealed plans for the pink electrical bin trial scheme. It is set to begin on Monday (March 23) and be rolled-out to around 500 residents in 16 blocks of flats across the borough, and run until the end of December.
Ahead of its launch, Cllr John Turner, chair of Spelthorne’s environment and sustainability committee, said: “Reducing waste and increasing recycling are key priorities for the council, and this pilot will make it much easier for residents to do the right thing with their unwanted electrical items. Too many small electricals stay in drawers or, worse, end up in the bin, when they could be reused or recycled.
Spelthorne Borough Council is the only Surrey area to introduce this pilot scheme, though it is not unlikely other borough council may adopt it too in the future(Image: Spelthorne Borough Council)
“By working with Material Focus on this trial, we are helping to cut e-waste, recover valuable materials and protect the environment for future generations. If the pilot is successful, we hope it will lead to wider improvements in electrical recycling across the borough.”
Residents will be able to dispose of items such as hairdryers, toasters, old phones and electric toothbrushes in the new pink bins, which will be collected weekly as part of the borough council’s ‘3 services in 1’ waste collection system. The Spelthorne pilot is just one of more than 70 across the UK, funded by Material Focus, which provided £6,000 to the Surrey council to support the scheme.
Research from Material Focus has shown many people across the UK have unwanted electricals they want to dispose of, but only 39 per cent of respondents actually safely bin these electricals. Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, said: “We are pleased to support this pilot that addresses the pressing issue of e-waste.
“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.” Spelthorne residents included in this pilot will be made aware of how and where they can recycle their electricals through information on leaflets.
These will be collected the same day other waste is collected in Spelthorne. The borough council has told residents to make sure small electrical items are:
Tied up in a standard sized carrier bags (ideally labelled to show they contain electricals);Put out kerbside by 6am (next to your food waste bin);Without batteries and bulbs (leave plugs or cables attached);This is a small electrical collection, meaning items that cannot be tied inside a standard sized carrier bag will not be collected.