New electrical waste collection in Orkney aims to collect 1,200 unwanted electricals and refurbish them - providing 400 low cost electricals for residents

Issued on behalf of OIC Waste Services, Restart Orkney, Greener Orkney, XS Resources, Re-Tek and CFINE

Householders and companies in Orkney will be able to donate their unwanted electricals via a new collection service to support Restart Orkney, a local charity.

The project is getting behind the newly launched Recycle Your Electricals campaign and is aiming to collect over 1,200 electrical appliances and devices, with a view to refurbishing at least 400 that will then be re-sold at low-cost to local residents.

Items that cannot be reused, will be responsibly recycled. The project will help to reduce electrical waste and provide 20 volunteer opportunities across the scheme, which will be set up in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire also.

The scheme has been set up in response to new research commissioned by Material Focus, the new not for profit that recently launched the Recycle Your Electricals campaign. The research estimates that UK households are hoarding 527 million small electrical items, an average of nearly 20 per household. Electrical waste is now the world’s fastest growing waste stream. Instead, the majority of electricals can either be re-used or the materials contained in them recycled by being turned into anything from life-saving equipment to children’s apparatus.

Restart Orkney, in partnership with Orkney Islands Council and Greener Orkney, and funded by Material Focus, have set up the new collection scheme for residents and businesses to donate unwanted electricals to help others. The scheme will enable residents to drop off small, but unwanted electrical items into the Restart Orkney shop in Kirkwall or at a new reuse container at the Hatston Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC). A free online bookable household collection service for small electricals will also be available from the 21 September from the XS Resources website (https://www.xsresources.org/orkney-electricals-collections).

Jayne Venables (Project Coordination Manager Waste Services) Orkney Islands Council said: “We are delighted to be a partner in this new project, offering residents in Orkney an opportunity to pass on unwanted small electrical items in support of local charities and create an opportunity for Orkney residents to grab a bargain and shop local.”

Amy Sutherland (Service Manager), of Restart Orkney said: “The funding from Material Focus has enabled us to expand our services to the community and create additional volunteering opportunities for our service users. We are really excited to expand our skills and hope to see many of you donating and purchasing items from our new stock.”

Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus said: “This project is vital to ensuring that we make good use of our old electricals. Whether they are re-used or recycled - these items contain valuable materials that will otherwise be lost forever. Our research has shown that in the UK we are hoarding over 527 million small electrical items, an average of 20 per household, which is why we have recently launched our Recycle Your Electricals campaign. We are delighted to be working with Restart Orkney as one of the first re-use projects that we are funding in the UK. So whether you are at home or work, please hunt out your old electricals and donate them.”

Trustees of Greener Orkney have said: “We really welcome this opportunity to work in partnership with Orkney Islands Council and Employability Orkney and make a contribution to reducing the growing e-waste mountain and raising awareness of this global problem locally in Orkney.”

• In October, residents on Orkney mainland with a minimum of 3 working items will be able to book an online appointment slot to have their items collected free of charge by Restart Orkney. Unconnected islands will also be given an opportunity to donate, with details coming soon.
• The scheme will ensure that all items are safe, with Restart Orkney securely collecting, cleaning and testing equipment before making it available in their shop for locals to purchase.
• The collection scheme is also open to organisations, with both householders and businesses provided with the peace of mind that all data bearing devices will be securely wiped by project partner - Re-Tek UK Ltd.
• If householders have items that are broken or not suitable to be used by others, they can be taken to open OIC HWRCs for recycling.

For more information on the scheme go to: https://www.xsresources.org/orkney-electricals-collections