Conwy residents can help the environment and over 1000 members of local community by donating their old electricals
New electrical waste collection in Conwy aims to collect unwanted household electrical items providing over 3800 refurbished electricals for residents
Householders in Conwy County will be able to easily declutter their unwanted electricals via a collection service to support Crest, a local charity, and help save the environment. 3800 of these appliances will be refurbished and then re-sold at a low cost to local residents or donated to families in crisis. The project will help to reduce electrical waste, boost the local economy by providing three new jobs, further volunteer opportunities and save 125 tonnes. Longer term Crest will aim to create additional jobs and reduce more waste for the benefit of the community. By enhancing Crest’s already self sustainable service, the project aims to increase the number of items processed and refurbished away from landfill by approximately 30%.
Recent research, by the new not for profit Material Focus, has found that UK householders are hoarding 527 million small electrical items, an average of nearly 20 per household. And the problem is set to get worse as waste electricals are one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world and the UK. Instead, the majority of electricals can either be re-used or the materials contained in them recycled by being turned into anything from life-saving equipment to children’s playgrounds.
In a concerted effort to tackle this growing challenge, Material Focus have funded Crest to enhance Crest’s collection service , as part of the Recycle Your Electricals Campaign. The scheme will collect small domestic appliances – anything with a plug, battery, or cable can be re-used or recycled.
Jay Martin, the Strategic Business Development Partner for Crest said: “We were keen to get behind the Recycle Your Electricals campaign and make it easier for our residents to de-clutter, donate to their local charity and do their bit to save the planet. Crest are delighted to have received this grant funding from Material Focus in order to increase our capacity to refurbish unwanted electrical items for reuse and create new jobs. Furthermore, we are excited to be working with the Material Focus team to raise awareness of, and promote, reuse/recycling of electrical items at a community level.”
Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus said: “This project is vital to ensuring that we make good use of our old electricals. Whether they are re-used or recycled – these items contain valuable materials that will otherwise be lost forever. Our research has shown that in the UK we are hoarding over 527 million small electrical items, an average of 20 per household, which is why we have recently launched our Recycle Your Electricals campaign. We are delighted to be working with Crest who are one of a number of new re-use projects that we are funding in the UK. So whether you are at home or work, please hunt out your old electricals and donate them to benefit your community.”
- To donate electrical items to Crest, please call 01492 596783 or email [email protected].
- The scheme will ensure that all items are safe, with Crest securely collecting, cleaning and testing equipment before making it available in their shop for locals to purchase.
For media enquiries please contact John Harper on [email protected]
A charity in Conwy County, Crest was first established as a social enterprise in 1998. The organisation has two shops that sell pre-loved furniture, clothing and refurbished electricals and supports adults with learning difficulties by providing work placements that enhance their skills and abilities. For more information on the scheme go to www.crestcooperative.co.uk.
Material Focus (formerly the WEEE Fund), is a not-for-profit organisation whose goal is to stop the nation throwing away or hoarding all their old small electricals. It has launched the new UK-wide Recycle Your Electricals campaign. The campaign is revealing the value hidden in electricals and is making it easier for us all to recycle and reuse the small electricals we no longer need by providing more recycling points as well as providing practical information on how households can recycle.
The campaign is funded by producers of electrical appliances. The UK government sets annual targets for the recycling of all waste electricals, including small electricals. If producers of electrical appliances don’t meet this target, then they contribute towards a fund. Since 2017 over £15 million has been raised, which pays for a range of activities, including communications, behaviour change activities, increasing recycling collection points and options and technical research. Ultimately the aim is to support actions that will help the UK increase the levels of reuse and recycling of waste electricals.
Use the Reuse Network’s CO2 calculator in combination with collection and reuse projections for your project: https://reuse-network.org.uk/impact-calculator/