Most homes have a drawer, box or bag somewhere full of old phone chargers and cables that no longer get used. They’re easy to forget about, but they’re also easy to deal with properly once you know where they can go. Here’s why it’s worth the five minutes, and exactly how to recycle chargers and cables in the UK.
Why you shouldn’t just bin old chargers and cables
Chargers, cables and power banks count as electrical waste (WEEE), not general rubbish. They contain copper, plastics and, in the case of power banks, lithium-ion batteries — none of which belong in a general waste bin. Batteries in particular are a known fire risk in bin lorries and waste sorting centres when they’re crushed or damaged, which is why loose cables with built-in batteries should never go in with normal household rubbish. Recycling them properly also means the copper and other materials inside can actually be recovered and reused, rather than sitting in landfill.
Where to recycle chargers and cables in the UK
There are a few straightforward options, depending on what’s most convenient for you:
Recycling points near you: The site recycleyourelectricals.org.uk has a postcode search covering roughly 30,000 drop-off locations across the UK, including recycling centres, shops and community collection points that accept old cables, chargers and other small electricals.
Council recycling centres: Most household waste recycling centres have a dedicated small electricals bin. Some councils also now accept small electricals, including chargers and cables, in kerbside collections — check your local council’s website to see what’s collected from home.
Retailers: Larger electronics retailers, including Currys, offer in-store electrical recycling points that accept old chargers and cables even if you didn’t buy them there.
Electrical shops: Many smaller electrical retailers will take back an old cable or charger when you buy a replacement, under UK take-back obligations for electrical goods.
Could it be donated or resold instead?
If a charger or cable still works properly, recycling isn’t the only option. Charities often accept working electricals for resale, and sites like eBay or reuse services such as Music Magpie will take working chargers, cables and power banks off your hands rather than see them scrapped. Giving a working charger a second life is generally the better outcome environmentally, since it avoids the energy cost of recycling and remanufacturing altogether.
Buying chargers that need replacing less often
One of the simplest ways to cut down on charger waste is to buy fewer, better ones in the first place. A well-made wall charger or braided cable will typically outlast a cheap bundled one by years, which means less frequent replacement and less ending up in the recycling stream. If you’re often charging on the move, a durable travel charger built to handle daily use in a bag is a good example of buying once rather than replacing repeatedly.
A quick checklist before you recycle
Before dropping chargers and cables off, unplug and gather them together so they’re easy to hand over, and separate out anything with a built-in battery, such as a power bank, since some drop-off points handle these slightly differently from plain cables. There’s no need to remove plugs or untangle cables first — recycling centres are set up to process them as they are.
Once your old chargers are sorted, you can browse the full range of phone chargers and cables if you’re due a reliable replacement that’s built to last.