Free electrical recycling service to be launched by Adur and Worthing Councils

It will soon be easier to recycle small, broken electrical items in Adur and Worthing thanks to a free household collection service being launched by the local councils.

Anything portable with plugs or powered by batteries, including kettles, toasters and irons, will be picked up from the kerbside from next Monday (3 October).

To help advertise the new service, brightly coloured tags are being attached to residents' bins with details of the types of items that will and won't be collected.

The idea behind the scheme is to reduce the amount of waste produced by households while increasing local recycling rates.

Cllr Emma Evans, Adur District Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure, said: “Thanks to the hard work of local residents, we’ve made real improvements in recent years in reducing the amount of household waste produced while increasing recycling levels. But we can and must go much further.

“This new free weekly service will support that work, making it easier for residents to recycle broken items while promoting alternative ways for appliances which are still working to be reused.”

Cllr Vicki Wells, Worthing Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “I’m delighted we are able to launch this new service, which will make it easier and quicker for residents to recycle broken electrical items.

“Everyone can do their bit to help the environment - and this simple move will help redirect tonnes of waste from landfill while saving residents multiple trips to the tip.”

Householders are also being encouraged to reuse items where possible, such as by donating those that still work to charity or community organisations. 

On the day of their weekly collection, residents will be able to leave their broken items next to their grey or blue bins, after removing any batteries from them.

Larger electrical goods, such as televisions, fridges and microwaves, should be taken to the local Household Waste Recycling Sites in Shoreham or Worthing.

The Councils also operate a bulky waste collection service where items can be taken away for a small charge.