Broadland: Kerbside collections spark excitement

Residents will be able to leave out small electrical items, batteries and textiles each week alongside their rubbish and recycling bins.

All items should be grouped into either textiles, batteries or electrical items and tied up in separate carrier bags and put next to the bin and left out by 6:30am on collection day.

Broadland District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environmental Excellence, Cllr Judy Leggett, said:

“Every year, the UK disposes of over 1.2 million tonnes of electrical and electronic waste, in fact, it’s the fastest growing waste stream on the planet. It’s not really surprising given that technology is always moving on, leaving a trail of old phones, laptops, cameras etc in its wake. “Many of the components of small electrical goods can be reused or refurbished, they don’t have to be thrown away. Our new scheme ensures we are giving our residents the best opportunity we can to recycle these items.”

Small electrical items such as the following will be collected:

• hairdryers, hair straighteners, shavers, electric toothbrushes
• kitchen appliances such as toasters, kettles, hand blenders
• DVD/CD Players, radios, MP3 players and remote controls
• clocks, watches, calculators and torches
• telephones (mobile and landline), cameras
• laptops
• small electrical DIY tools such as drills and electric screwdrivers
• toys (for example, remote control car or drone)
• battery chargers
• Christmas lights

All items should still have the cables attached and all batteries removed and hard drives of any laptops should be cleared. Batteries should be placed in a separate bag for collection. The Council can collect most household batteries except rechargeable batteries and larger batteries, such as those designed for vehicles.

The Council will also be collecting textiles, including shoes, clothes and bedding (no duvets, cushions or pillows) as long as they are clean and dry.

Cllr Leggett added:

“In Norfolk around 8,500 tonnes of textiles that could be reused or recycled are thrown away every year, so please don’t put them in the rubbish bin, give them a new lease of life and recycle them.”

Occasionally, on busy days items may not be collected at the same time as the bin. Residents are advised to leave the bags out for collection and an additional vehicle will be sent later that day.

Only small items in standard plastic bags will be collected (not black sacks). For larger items, Broadland District Council offers a household bulky waste collection service for £28.80 for up to three items and £9.60 per additional item (up to a maximum of six items).

From April 4, only people who have individual bins will have access to the new service, a trial will take place at some communal/shared bins sites after this date, with the expectation of extending the service to all residents in the future.

For more information, please visit our Broadland electrical, battery and textile collection service page.