The Great Cable Challenge launches to persuade UK households to recycle 1 million cables for International E-Waste Day 2024

Media Release, 31 July 2024

In celebration of this year’s International E-Waste Day, Material Focus is launching ‘The Great Cable Challenge’ – a nationwide campaign aimed at tackling the millions of cables sitting idle across UK households. Material Focus is calling on households, local authorities, retailers, schools and community projects across the UK to take part in the challenge and collectively recycle 1 million cables, helping to reduce e-waste.

International E-Waste Day is a key moment to raise awareness of electrical waste as the fastest growing waste stream in the UK and the world. Taking place on the 14th October the day encourages people to take action by recycling their old and unwanted electricals.

Cables contain at least 20% copper and this precious material is lost forever when cables and other electricals are thrown away. Copper is essential in our everyday items including our phones, transport, medical equipment and our green energy future.

Many of us own a ‘drawer of doom’, full of old, unused or broken items we no longer use or need. The Great Cable Challenge aims to make it easier for people to reuse and recycle  their old cables and other electricals and give them a new lease of life by recycling or donating them. According to Material Focus’ research, if 1 million of us recycled at least 1 cable we could save 5,000 kg of copper from landfill.

How can you get involved?

Anyone can participate in The Great Cable Challenge and take one small action to make a big difference. Simply bag up your cables – and any other old, unwanted electricals you find in your ‘drawer of doom’ – and visit Recycle Your Electricals’ postcode locator to find your local donation or recycling point.

Material Focus has created a campaign toolkit to enable local authorities, retailers, schools and community projects across the UK to take part in the challenge and help inspire people to recycle their old cables and other small electricals. If you would like more information then please email hello@materialfocus.org.uk.

Partners can either:

• Set up pop-up cable collections in offices, universities, schools and community halls, to make it as easy as possible for employees, students or residents to recycle their household electricals and cables. The toolkit includes a step-by-step guide for setting up your own pop-up collection point (for household electricals only, not business waste). 
• Help promote the campaign using Material Focus’ communication materials, and raise awareness of electrical waste and encourage individuals, and local communities, to take action.

Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus said, “Almost all of us have those old, forgotten cables stashed away at home – I have a box under my bed of cables I’ve been holding onto ‘just in case’ but haven’t actually used in months or are broken. But by recycling them or donating those that still work, we can repurpose or reclaim that valuable copper and prevent it from going to waste. The Great Cable Challenge is a simple way for everyone to make a big, collective difference. And by recycling at least one cable, people will then understand how easy it is to do. Let’s come together this October and recycle 1 million cables.”

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Kate Hinton or Will Treharne – kate@materialfocus.org.uk or will@materialfocus.org.uk 

Notes to Editors

About Material Focus

Material Focus is a not-for-profit organisation whose goal is to stop the nation throwing away or hoarding all their old, small electricals. Material Focus is delivering the UK-wide Recycle Your Electricals campaign. The campaign is revealing the value hidden in electricals and is making it easier for us all to recycle and reuse the small electricals we no longer need by providing more recycling points as well as providing practical information on how households can reuse and recycle.

The campaign is funded by producers of electrical appliances which pays for a range of activities, including communications, behaviour change activities, increased recycling projects and research. Ultimately the aim is to support actions that will help the UK increase the levels of reuse and recycling of waste electricals.

About International E-Waste Day

IEWD was founded by the WEEE Forum, the international association representing producer responsibility organisations. The UK lead member is REPIC. IEWD is open to any one to participate.