Electricals Recycling Fund offers 750k to budding projects

This funding comes after previous rounds that are said to have provided £1.8 million to fund over 40 UK projects catering to over 10 million people.

Material Focus’s said that while 80% of consumers believe in recycling, many still discard electricals rather than recycling or reusing them. With what it thinks to be an average of 30 electrical items hidden away in UK homes, totalling 880 million items nationwide, and 103,000 tonnes thrown away, there’s potential for repair, donation and recycling efforts to make an impact.

Material Focus said the fund is looking for project proposals that will test “creative, practical and scalable new methods” for collecting electricals that could deliver “significant” environmental benefits in the future.

Since the Electricals Recycling Fund launched in September 2023, over 63.57 tonnes of e-waste is said to have been diverted from landfill. Almost 500 people have been helped by repair events and donation projects, and 228 new recycling locations have been established.

Success so far

Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, said: “This additional funding is a testament to the success of the projects so far and shows the commitment to tackling e-waste in the UK. We are excited to continue expanding our efforts and making electricals reuse and recycling easier for more people across the UK.”

Kieran O’Leary, policy officer at Durham County Council, said: “Since October, we have held 10 Repair Cafés and repaired 97 items. We have also supported two volunteer led repair cafes and are in the process of setting up a further two. The benefits of HypnoCat and Material Focus’ excellent marketing is hugely beneficial for any project – be it a new one or an existing one.”

The fund aims to support two types of projects – those seeking to grow or develop existing household collection services for small electricals, and those seeking to innovate new collection methods.

Material Focus are seeking applicants from a range of organisations, including local authorities, waste collection authority areas, waste contractors, reuse organisations, non-profits, producer compliance schemes, retailers and startups. Individuals are not eligible for the funding.

To find out more about changes in the sector, visit the National Letsrecycle.com Conference on 6 June at QEII Centre in London. To book tickets to attend or for more information please click here.