UK plans require retailers to pay for the recycling of e-waste by consumers from 2026

The government’s plan to pay producers and retailers for in-store and household collections will allow British households to benefit from better routes for recycling electronic products from 2026.

In a published consultation on Thursday, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that consumers could have their electrical waste (ewaste) – from cables to power tools and toasters – collected at home or leave items during a weekly shopping trip. Retailers, not taxpayers, are expected to pay for the new methods of safely disposing of toxic, defunct products. In two years, the measures will be in place.

According to Material Focus , a non-profit organization, data shows that almost half a million small electrical items were thrown away last year. The problem was especially acute at Christmas when 500 tonnes worth of Christmas lights were thrown out, according to the government.

The UK has been working to tackle this issue since it joined the EU. It included the Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment that came into force in 2012. The same as other waste regulations, they are based on the principle that the producer will be responsible for the disposal of the waste. This is what the UK and EU did in the case of plastic packaging.

This year, the EU adopted recommendations to its member countries on how to improve recycling. However, targets differ by country.

The UK has not kept pace some EU regulatory initiatives after Brexit. The EU is trying to reduce electronic waste by introducing laws that include a right to fix products and require common chargers (USB C), rather than Apple’s lightning charger, from 2024. Cables are one of the biggest contributors to electronic waste. They are both hoarded and thrown away incorrectly.

The UK has fallen behind European peers in a number of recycling rates due to a lack of recycling capacities, such as battery processing. A study by the OECD of British data shows that it has failed to reach its recycling targets for household eWaste between 2017 and 2020. The report by the think tank found that “further effort is needed” to stop illegal export and dumping of electronic waste in the UK. This includes a proposal for a mandatory waste tracking system.

A study conducted by U-Switch, based on data from the Global E-Waste Monitor Report, shows that Britain is still struggling to meet its recycling targets despite being one of the biggest consumers of these items. Norway was the only country that generated more electrical waste per person than the UK. MPs warn that data comparable to electronic waste are patchy.

To ease the problem of electronic waste, large retailers are now required to create “collection points for electrical products in-store”, free of charge and without having to exchange the item for a new one.

Defra announced that, starting in 2026, brick-and-mortar and online retailers will be required to collect all large electrical products, including refrigerators or cookers, when they deliver a replacement.

Robbie Moore, the recycling minister in the UK, stated: “Each year, millions of household electronic devices end up being thrown away rather than recycled or reused. This is a waste of natural resources that must stop.

He said: “We have all got old gadgets in a drawer that we don’t really know what to do about. Our proposals will make it easy for you to get rid of them without having to go to the local dump.” Our plans will also help to create jobs and a circular economy by simplifying recycling.