During Recycle Week the council is highlighting the fact that electrical waste is now one of the fastest growing types of waste.

Councillor Robert Brown, the council’s Chair of the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, said: “It is easier than ever to recycle your electrical items, both on the high street and at our recycling centres.

“During Recycle Week, we want to encourage residents to do the right thing and donate or recycle their unwanted electricals, and make sure they don’t end up in the bin. 

“Your old chargers, cables and broken electricals still contain a lot of valuable materials that can be recovered during the recycling process, so make sure you do your bit for the environment and recycle those too.”

Many high street stores such as Currys and B&Q, as well as supermarkets like Asda, offer free recycling of electrical items in their stores. Other participating retailers in your local area can be found using the Recycle Your Electricals Recycling Locator.

South Lanarkshire’s six household waste and recycling centres also accept electrical items for recycling. Everything from fluorescent light bulbs to fridge freezers can be recycled on-site. Remember to book your visit in advance.

According to Recycle Your Electricals, we discard 103,000 tonnes of electricals every year instead of reusing or recycling them which is leading to the loss of valuable resources.

For example, copper is an infinitely recyclable material which is needed to produce renewable technology, such as wind turbines and solar panels.

More information and advice on electrical and electronic equipment can be found on the Recycle Your Electricals website.