15 new pilots to receive grants from the £565,031 2026 Electricals Recycling Fund, Material Focus have announced.
The non-profit behind the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, Material Focus, says the projects will make it easier for almost 2 million UK households to recycle their small electricals.
Material Focus research shows 880 million electrical items are held onto in UK homes, which is equivalent to 30 items per household.
Delivered by councils and community organisations across the UK, the pilots will see the creation and refurbishment of on-street bring banks, community collection points in high footfall locations, such as libraries and leisure centres.
The locations will accept items including hairdryers, tablets and laptops, old kettles and cables, in an attempt to remove some of the practical barriers that can prevent unwanted electricals from being recycled.
Many of these unwanted electricals contain valuable materials that could be recovered through recycling, while others could potentially be repaired, reused or rehomed.
Almost two million more households will have access to improved small electricals recycling options as a result of this year’s funding.
Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus, said the projects show the ‘importance of making recycling easy, visible and convenient for people in their local communities’.
“Almost two million more households will have access to improved small electricals recycling options as a result of this year’s funding,” Butler said.
“By supporting councils and community organisations to test new approaches, we can identify the solutions that work best and build a stronger network of convenient recycling options across the UK.”
Since the launch of the Electricals Recycling Fund, over £3.5 million has been granted to 92 pilots across the UK.
Material Focus says previous funding rounds have delivered more than 900 new collection points, making it easier for over 13.5 million people to recycle.
The Fund supports organisations seeking to grow or develop household collection services for small electricals and to test innovative new collection methods, with funding available to eligible organisations, including local authorities and non-profit organisations.
The 15 confirmed projects will receive a combined £565,031 from the Electricals Recycling Fund, with co-funding from the Distributor Takeback Scheme (DTS), operated by Valpak Ltd.
Ian Guest, Environmental Compliance Consultant, Valpak Limited, said: “The programme demonstrates what can be achieved when funding is directed towards practical solutions that make it easier for people to recycle their unwanted electricals.”
“These new pilots will help bring convenient recycling options closer to households across the UK, while providing valuable insight into approaches that could be replicated and scaled in the future.”