Hertfordshire ‘electrical lovers’ are urged to let their unwanted technology and gadgets go.

Many of us already recycle everyday items such as newspapers, glass, cans and plastic bottles, but small electrical items can be reused or recycled. This means anything with a battery or plug; from broken toasters and kettles gathering dust in the loft, to old mobile phones in drawers, and disused power tools cluttering up the garage. Old and unused electrical items can become useful again!

On average each of us accumulates three new electrical items each year, or 173 million nationally, but we seem to find it harder to let them go as only one in five of our small electricals gets recycled. Much-loved items that become disused after an upgrade can often be put to good use by someone else or can be broken down into components and recycling the valuable materials, which helps to preserve our natural resources.

Cllr Melvyn Teare, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability said: “It is easy to recycle, reduce or reuse the waste we generate. This year, why not give your old electricals a new lease of life by allowing them to be recycled into something new, or donating them to charity so they can find a new home?”

The ’Love your electricals: set them free’ campaign will show people how they can part with their once-loved possessions and realise their value once again.

Visit the WasteAware website at www.wasteaware.org.uk or the Recycle Now website at www.recyclenow.com to find out where to take your electrical items to be recycled and let’s waste less together.