“WEEE” Recycle in Greater Manchester during Recycle Week

Recycle Week takes place between the 21st and 27th June and this year the focus is on recycling Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).

During Recycle Week, Recycle for Greater Manchester and the ten districts of Greater Manchester are joining forces to encourage residents to pledge to recycle their broken or unused electrical items.

Throughout the country, most people own at least one electrical item which is either broken or no longer in use, but they are hesitant to dispose of it. Often this can be because they don’t know what to do with it or because they know the value and so are hesitant to throw it away.

However, recycling broken electrical items ensures that value is gathered from the gadgets that we often keep hold of, in case one day they magically repair themselves. By recycling WEEE, all of the components including metal, plastic and glass are separated and recycled into new items.

When considering how to dispose of electrical items, Recycle for Greater Manchester encourages residents to bear in mind the three R’s; Reduce, Reuse and Recycle:

• Reduce: Do you really need to buy a new product?
• Reuse: If you don’t want your electrical item, maybe there is someone else who does? You could sell it, or donate it to charity.
• Recycle: When you buy a new electrical/electronic product, find out if the retailer will take back your old one. If they can, they will arrange for it to be recycled. Otherwise you can take it to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

All Household Waste Recycling Centres across Greater Manchester including the recently refurbished sites at Reliance Street in Manchester and Arkwright Street in Oldham, accept electrical items which are taken nearby for full recycling.

Recycling across Greater Manchester has never been easier. The Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) has seen the redevelopment or complete rebuild of eighteen of its household waste recycling centres in the past year, in a drive to increase recycling levels throughout the region. For more information and to find your nearest facility, visit http://www.recycleforgreatermanchester.com

Did you know…?

• On average, each person in the UK buys 2.8 new electrical items every year.
• In 2009, over 140,000 tonnes of small household electrical and electronic equipment was put onto the market but only 20,000 tonnes was collected for recycling.
• In one persons lifetime they will go through an average of 3.3 tonnes of electrical waste.
• 15 million mobile phones are upgraded in the UK each year. Laid from end-to-end they would reach from John O'Groats to Lands End.
• Electrical goods are the fastest growing waste stream in the UK, increasing by 5% each year.

Councillor Neil Swannick, Chair of the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) said: “Recycle Week is a great way of reminding people about the importance of the three R’s; Reduce, Re-use and Recycle. If everyone across Greater Manchester pledges to recycle just one item at their local HWRC, we can ensure that many of our new items are made from our old ones.”

Peter Heginbotham, Chairman of Viridor Laing, the company responsible for the Development of the project added: “In a world were new gadgets are coming onto the market every day, it is important that we remember to do something good with the things that we no longer use and don’t forget about them. Reuse and recycling are the best ways of doing this.”

If you would like to find out what is happening in your district for Recycle Week, then please follow the links below. 

Recycle Week in Bury
Recycle Week in Rochdale