Small electrical items should NOT be disposed of with ordinary household refuse.
Redbridge recycling centre is a registered collection point for WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment)
To be environmentally friendly, try and find a new home for such items via Freecycle . Many 'takers' on Freecycle have the necessary skills to mend non-functioning WEEE and give it a new lease of life.
(For details of free collection by the Council of LARGE electrical items, click here)
E-waste, which includes PCs, games consoles, microwaves and washing machines, is the fastest-growing form of rubbish in the European Union. The UK produces an estimated 1.2m tonnes of e-waste each year.
Discarded electronic and electrical products contain many toxic, hazardous, components. Much of what is dumped ends up in landfill or is exported to developing countries, where it ends up in dumps, which are scavenged for components that can be recycled, the rest being burned.
The cumulative effect of toxic metals on the soil and fumes released on burning is becoming an increasing cause for concern. Drinking water sources can be affected. For more information on this, click here.