Wakefield Council unveils recycling banks for small electrical items at libraries across the district

The bright green bins can be found in libraries at Stanley, Featherstone and South Elmsall and aim to improve the recycling of electrical waste.

In just six months from April to September 2022, batteries caused 69 fires at the Wakefield district’s waste treatment facility in South Kirkby.

Electrical items contain hidden batteries which can cause fires during crushing operations in bin wagons or the recycling facility, putting staff at risk and causing damage.

Small electrical items can be recycled in the library bins, include: toasters, kettles, irons, hairdryers, mobile phones, chargers, remote control toys, e-cigarettes, games consoles and power tools.

Coun Jack Hemingway, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, said: “We want to encourage people to recycle their electricals, because they contain valuable materials we can use again and again and because putting electrical items in any of your household bins can be dangerous.

“They can cause fires in our waggons and recycling facility, which damages equipment, puts staff at risk and means we have to call on the emergency services.

“So please recycle your electricals correctly by taking them to one of our new recycling banks, or our existing Bring Sites or Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).”

The new library banks will be in place for three months, and then reviewed to assess the success of the scheme.

The hope is that similar collection bins can be located at more libraries in the future to make recycling easier for the public.