Recycle your electricals campaign launched as part of Leeds Recycle Week

Recycle your electricals campaign launched as part of Leeds Recycle Week

Leeds is taking part in the launch of “HypnoCat” as part of the 18^th annual recycle week.

The pink fluffy cat is on a mission to hypnotise households into recycling their small old electricals and is a bit of fun but comes with a serious message.

These small old, unwanted electricals contain a large percentage of precious materials like gold, silver and copper, which can and should be recycled. This kind of waste is one of the fastest growing in the UK with over 155,000 tonnes of waste electricals being thrown away each year.

Leeds homes alone hide enough cable to travel the full length of the M1 eight times. HypnoCat will be issuing a series of rally cries to local people across radio, social media and outdoor posters to raise awareness.

Linking in with the wider message of recycling week across Leeds, HypnoCat will urge Leeds residents to “step it up” this recycle week, encouraging them to make small changes that will help save the planet.

Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Housing, said:

 “I’m delighted that Leeds City Council is involved with the launch of the Recycle Your Electricals campaign and hope it will spark discussion around the importance of recycling their electrical waste.

 “I urge everybody throughout Leeds to visit www.leeds.gov.uk/electricals and find out where their nearest electrical recycling point is and join in with the campaign online. It is really important that we all contribute to tackling climate change by making sure anything with a plug, battery or cable is recycled at your nearest electrical recycling point.”

Scott Butler, Material Focus, Executive Director, said:

“Small, old electricals are one of the fastest growing waste streams and we are throwing away valuable materials that are lost forever. These small old, unwanted electricals contain 75 per cent of materials that can be recycled or reused such as precious materials like gold, silver and copper.

 “HypnoCat our messenger for the campaign will be providing step-by-step information on how to reuse and recycle old electricals. We want everyone to know that all old electricals - that’s everything with a plug, battery or cable - can be recycled. 

“We are delighted to be working with Leeds City council and are calling on residents to stop throwing away their old electricals, and instead put them in a bag ready to be recycled drop them off at your nearest recycling point.”

The Recycle Your Electricals Campaign is making recycling small old electricals easier than ever by providing an information hub for the UK on how to recycle electricals and a postcode locator with details of over 3,00 recycling, repair and reuse points across the UK.

Join the campaign with other celebrities including the likes of Konnie Huq, Andrea McLean, Zandra Rhodes by sharing pictures, videos and stories of the electricals that you’ve collected in a bag prior to recycling them.  Use the hashtag #RecycleYourElectricals or tag us on Facebook @RecycleYourElectricals Twitter @RecycleElectric & Instagram @RecycleYourElectricals_

ENDS

Note to editors

About Material Focus and the Recycle Your Electricals campaign

Material Focus is a not-for-profit organisation whose goal is to stop the nation throwing away or hoarding all their old small electricals. Material Focus has launched the 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 (WEEE Fund) which pays for a range of activities, including communications, behaviour change activities, increased recycling projects and research. Ultimately the aim is to support actions that will help the UK increase the levels of reuse and recycling of waste electricals.