Kirbside collections for small electricals
East Suffolk residents are able to leave small electrical items on top of their wheeled bins on their usual bin collection day and items will then be collected by the refuse crew and taken away for recycling. There is no need to bag the items.
Electrical collections will take place at the same time as existing household waste, recycling and garden waste collections. Collected items will be sorted for recycling or where appropriate, given to local charities - The Repair Shed in Martlesham and the Benjamin Foundation in Lowestoft - for repair, before selling the items to raise money. To try and manage demand on the service residents are asked to leave no more than 2 small electrical items, unbagged, out for collection each week. If the collection basket on the refuse vehicle is full, items can be scheduled for collection the following week.
Small items which can be collected through the scheme:
- Toasters
- Kettles
- Hairdryers and hair straighteners
- Electric shavers and toothbrushes
- Mobile phones
- Digital cameras
- Remote controls
- Clocks and watches
- Game consoles and controllers
- Small radios and speakers
- Electric drills and other small power tools
- Chargers and cables
- Laptops and tablets
- MP3 players/iPods
- Electric irons
- DVD/CD players
Items must be electrical or electronic (i.e. needs a plug, battery, or charger) and about the size of a shoebox.
Items which cannot be accepted and instead can be taken to your nearest recycling centre:
- Large appliances (e.g., washing machines, fridges)
- TV sets or computer monitors
- Vacuum cleaners
- Microwaves
- Light bulbs or fluorescent tubes
- Batteries
- Hazardous electricals (e.g. items with leaking batteries)
Repair or reuse
Where possible, try to get your broken electrical item repaired.
You can also offer electrical items in good condition and full working order to charity shops, car boot sales or to friends/family. You can also take working electricals to any of the Household Waste Recycling Centres where containers are provided for re-usable items to be placed into. Items are tested and sold by The Benjamin Foundation Reuse Shop, or by local charities Gatehouse and Ipswich Furniture Project.
Recycling
If an item is beyond repair, and you intend to buy a replacement, check whether the retailer from whom you plan to make your new purchase has a take-back scheme for the old item.
If take-back by the retailer is not possible, the following recycling options are available:
Lightbulbs and batteries
Many supermarkets and hardware stores provide recycling points in-store for domestic batteries and lightbulbs. The Household Waste Recycling Centres provide recycling containers for domestic batteries, vehicle batteries, lightbulbs, and fluorescent tubes.
Large or heavy electricals
Large or heavy end-of-life electrical appliances such as cookers, fridges, freezers, tumble dryers, washing machines, microwave ovens, and TVs, can be taken for recycling free of charge to any of the Household Waste Recycling Centres.
Alternatively, householders can use the bulky waste collection service offered by East Suffolk Services Ltd to have bulky items of waste electrical and electronic equipment collected, for which a charge will be made.
Advice for businesses
Businesses can also find out more about the WEEE regulations.