Tech and Electricals
Given the world's digital transition, this is the fastest growing category of waste.
Did you know that recycling our old electricals would cut so much CO2 it would be like taking 1.3 million cars off the road?(Source: Material Focus)
In 2023, the UK generated the second highest amount of electronic waste per capita in the world. That's a lot of e-waste! Producing new electricals to replace old ones takes a lot of materials and energy. Raw materials such as gold, silver, copper, aluminium, steel, lithium and nickel are mined for production. When old electricals and tech are thrown away, or kept unused in a cupboard, these valuable materials are lost for reuse. The average home in the UK is hiding 20 unwanted electricals and it’s estimated that discarded or hoarded household electronics cost the UK economy £370 million per year in lost raw materials.
(Source: Material Focus and Circular)
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So how can you help to save these lost materials and bring them back into circulation? We have some brilliant solutions right here in Merton and neighbouring boroughs to reuse, repair, recycle and rent electronics and tech.
​Reuse
Any electrical and tech item still in good condition can be reused, either by donating to a good cause, passing on to friends, or selling your pre-loved items to get a bit money. You can also make buying second hand your first choice when looking for a new tech item to play an even bigger part in reducing electronic waste and the harmful impact of mining rare earth elements.
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To Donate for Reuse:
There are brilliant charities working in Merton and across London that accept donations of working tech and electrical items for resale or redistribution.
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The Dons accept laptops and tablets that are less than 8 years old to redistribute as part of their Keep Kids Connected program. Their IT specialists make sure than all information previously stored in the device is wiped before redistribution.
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The Dons also accept donations of working white goods to give to those most in need. Their team of volunteers can even come to you to collect the item.
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The British Heart Foundation charity shop in Mitcham accepts working electrical items including small electricals, TVs, hi-fis, washing machines, fridges and dishwashers. They will collect the items from you for free.
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Little Lives accept donations of many electronics and tech items such as flat screen TVs, cameras, laptops, games consoles and speakers. Devices are donated to children via schools, youth clubs, and local authorities. Free collection can be arranged to pick up your unwanted items.
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Tools with a Mission (TWAM) accept donations of many types of electric and power tools, (including carpentry tools, sewing machines, generators, laptops and tablets) that are in working condition to redistribute to six countries in Africa. Check their Tools Wanted list before donating. There are tool collection points in Wallington, Surbiton, and Croydon.
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This Wandsworth-based charity accept donations of working laptops under 8 years old and tablets under 4 years old. They wipe any remaining information from the devices before redistributing them in the community. Free collection can be arranged.
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With Fonebank, you can sell your old mobile phones and donate the value to Oxfam.
Organisations can responsibly and sustainably dispose of e-waste by donating old corporate devices including laptops, mobile phone and tablets to the National Device Bank. The charity uses these old devices to help digitally excluded people get online.
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A service for business to rehome their IT equipment. Reconome collects the tech, wipes the data, refurbishes and re-warrantees the item. The devices are sold on to schools, charities where they will have the highest social impact at a low cost.
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For more device donation schemes and tech refurbishment organisations working in London, visit the on the Greater London Authority website.
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To Sell (or Buy) Reused:
Choosing to buy used, refurbished, second-hand tech and electricals saves money and valuable resources. If you're looking for a new-to-you tech or electronic device, or looking to sell your old devices, take a look at what's on offer at these resale stores.
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BackMarket: For buying and trading in used tech including phones, tablets, laptops, smart watches and games consoles.
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CeX: For buying and trading in used tech including phones, tablets, laptops, smart watches and games consoles, games and DVDs.
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FairFone: If you are looking for a new phone or phone accessories, take a look at FairFone. They use recycled rare earth elements and plastics, and manufacture spare parts so your phone can always be easily repaired.
Repair
Repairing a broken tech item can save money and resources. Check out the Restart Project’s Repair directory for repair shops in the area. The shops in the Repair Directory have been chosen for their positive reviews and clear warranty terms.
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Learn to take apart and identify a problem and co-fix everyday small electrical items like vacuum cleaners, toasters, kettles, lamps, hand blenders, hair dryers, radios, mobiles and laptops with more experienced fixers at a Restart Party or Repair Cafe near you. You can find a list of The Wheel's upcoming repair events here.
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Ifixit sells tools needed for repair and provides free crowdsourced repair guides for everything!
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CeX is a high street retailer of second hand tech which also offer repair services for consoles, phones and gadgets. They have stores in Morden and Wimbledon.
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Recycle
For items that are broken, unusable and at the end of their life, there are many options to recycle. Here are recycling options for items we get asked about the most. To find the electricals, tech and battery recycling locations closest to you, visit Recycle Your Electricals.
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Broken and irreparable tech & electrical items (such as laptops, tablets, toasters, kettles, other white goods) can be dropped off for recycling at a growing number of shops and recycling hubs.
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Garth Road Household Reuse and Recycling Centre: Merton residents can recycle white goods and household electricals.
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Currys: Drop off your small tech and electrical items and cables for free recycling. Recycling home collection for old electrical equipment or white goods is only included if a new replacement item from Currys is being delivered to you.
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B & Q: Drop off your small tech and electrical items and cables for free recycling. Recycling home collection for old electrical equipment is only included if a new like-for-like replacement item from B & Q is being delivered to you.
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Many supermarkets in Merton have drop-off points for tech and small electricals recycling. Check your local store for drop-off point locations.
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Light bulbs
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Garth Road Household Reuse and Recycling Centre: Merton residents can recycle household low energy bulbs.
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B&Q: Free drop-off points for used lightbulbs and fluorescent tubes in store.
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Currys: Free drop-off points for used lightbulbs and fluorescent tubes in store.
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Robert Dyas: Ask the sales assistant at the tills if you can hand over your used lightbulbs for recycling.
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Many supermarkets in Merton have drop-off points for recycling household light bulbs. Check your local store for drop-off point locations.
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Batteries
It is very important to always recycle batteries and never put them into general waste collection as this can cause explosions leading to fires in the rubbish collection trucks and within the waste and recycling centres.
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Many supermarkets, petrol stations, and large hardware stores in Merton have a plastic tub to collect small household batteries for recycling.
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Merton residents can also recycle household and car batteries at Garth Road Household Reuse and Recycling Centre.
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Video & audio cassette tapes
If you happen to still have these blasts from the past, it can be difficult to know how to recycle them. If the tape is removed from the cassette, the cassette can be recycled as hard/rigid plastic at Garth Road Recycling Centre. The Work & Play Scrapstore may also take them as a craft material.
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Printer cartridges
You can recycle your inkjet printer cartridges and raise money for Sustainable Merton at the same time! Recycle 4 Charity provides a hassle free printer cartridge recycling program to raise money for charities. See Sustainable Merton's website for more info.
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​Rent
Buying less and renting more helps to build our circular economy. Renting and sharing electronics and tech, rather than buying items for yourself, can save you money, storage space and prevent lots of e-waste.
​Morden Library of Things:
For those projects or events where you only need to use electrical equipment for a short while, renting is ideal! The Morden Library of things has carpet cleaners, drills, projectors, icecream makers, GoPro cameras and so much more!
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Did you know that all Merton Libraries lend laptops and tablets to those who need them? This is part of their Connecting Merton program for digitally excluded residents to be able to borrow laptops and tablets from Merton libraries for a period of 3 months.
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Rent electronics peer to peer from people in your neighbourhood. There is lots listed in the area, and if you have any tech or electrical appliances that you don't use often, you could offer them up for rental.
