All household electrical items that use mains electricity or have the capacity to do so, including battery powered items, eg radios, TVs, computers, lamps etc are now covered by the new Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (the WEEE directive). The main aim of this legislation is to ensure greater recycling of these items.

Many newer electrical items are nowadays marked with the "crossed-out wheelie bin" logo to indicate that the item can be recycled.

If you want to recycle such an item you can:

• Ask at the electrical store if they will take the product back
• Arrange for the retailer delivering new equipment to take away the old appliance
• Take it down to your local Community Recycling Centre and place in the designated container
• For large appliances, you can arrange a bulky waste collection with your local council but there is a charge for this service.

If your electrical item is in good working order:

• Donate it to a charity shop, a community centre or to Surrey Reuse Network. Make sure to find out if the organisation has an electrician on site to test and repair appliances otherwise your item will simply end up in the bin.
• Give it away for free on Freecycle or Freegle.
• Sell it locally or online.

Please make sure that your waste is disposed of correctly. Your local council is able to fine you if you have not taken care to ensure that your waste is taken away by an authorised person who is a registered waste carrierand therefore would not fly-tip your waste.

The WEEE regulations do not ban the householders from disposing of WEEE in their bin but ensure that a network of collection points for WEEE recycling is established so that they can recycle their old equipment with greater ease.