Saturday, February 12, 2011

Gadget Recycling for Bournemouth

Bournemouth's introduced a new scheme for recycling gadgets.  It's good to see that recycling is continually being made easier for residents.  Council press release follows:

Recycle your gadgets!
New recycling banks have been introduced to help Bournemouth residents environmentally dispose of their small electrical items.

Goods classed as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) include small kitchen appliances, mobiles phones, ICT equipment, lamps, electric tools and entertainment gadgets such as games consoles and music equipment - anything which needs electricity to fulfil their main function.

The banks can be found at Cranmer Road Car Park, Winton, and Hawkwood Road Car Park in Boscombe. A third will be placed in Durley Road Car Park, West Cliff, later this month.

Councillor Michael Filer, portfolio holder for Environment & Transport, said: "Electrical and electronic equipment plays an ever-increasing role in our daily lives and it is difficult to know sometimes what to do with items which we no longer need, are broken or simply want to get rid of. I am delighted we are able to offer an environmental solution and I would encourage as many people as possible to use the new recycling banks."

He added: "I am so proud of Bournemouth's recycling achievements to date. We have already reached the 50 per cent mark and are now progressing ahead. We are in the top ten per cent of authorities in the UK and hope when the next official figures are published later this year, we will be amongst the leaders."

Georgina Lamb, Environment and Recycling Officer, said: "In Britain we throw away a million tonnes of household electrical and electronic waste every year and is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the UK. If the item is still working we would always advise trying to pass it on for someone else to reuse - perhaps via a charity shop. However when goods have reached the end of their life please use the new banks so it can be recycled. Together we can recycle more and waste less!"

Items dropped at the banks must be no more than 60cm x 45cm x 35cm in size. Anything larger will need to be taken to Millhams Household Recycling Centre in Ringwood Road near Longham as leaving items outside the banks can lead to a prosecution for flytipping.

Examples of small electrical items which can be disposed of in the new banks:

*       Small kitchen equipment - kettles, toasters, food processors, fryers, grinders, coffee machines, electric knives
*       Small living room equipment - lamps, heaters, irons, DVD players, telephones, computers, laptops, clocks
*       Small domestic care equipment - irons, smoke alarms, heat detectors
*       Personal care equipment - hair dryers, razors, shavers, toothbrushes, massagers
*       Gadgets - mobile phones, MP3 players, cameras, sports equipment, toys, video games, games consoles
*       Small DIY/Garden tools - drills, shredders, sanders
*       Electrical wire/extension leads