The Trowbridge e-waste disposal guide: recycle electronics responsibly

What counts as e-wasteSection titled What%20counts%20as%20e-waste

WEEE — waste electrical and electronic equipment — is the official term, but the plain-language version is simpler: if it needed a plug, a battery or a cable to work, it counts as e-waste once you're done with it, whether it still switches on or not. That covers far more of the average home than people expect:

• Phones, tablets and other handheld devices
• Computers, laptops, printers and monitors
• TVs and other screens
• Small kitchen and bathroom appliances — kettles, toasters, hairdryers, shavers
• Cables, chargers and leads
• Batteries and battery packs, including the ones hidden inside other devices

Why it should never go in the binSection titled Why%20it%20should%20never%20go%20in%20the%20bin

Electricals contain materials that don't belong in general waste, from lead and mercury in older equipment to the lithium-ion batteries now built into everything from vapes to power tools. Batteries crushed or punctured inside a bin lorry can spark a fire, and it's a growing problem: Material Focus, the not-for-profit behind the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, recorded more than 1,200 battery fires in bin lorries and at waste sites across the UK last year.

There's also a simpler, practical reason: every phone, kettle or laptop that goes in the bin takes its recoverable metals — copper, steel, gold and more — to landfill instead of back into circulation. Retailers and manufacturers already fund the recycling system through their WEEE obligations, so using it doesn't cost you anything extra. It just means keeping electricals separate rather than binning them with everyday rubbish.

Recycling centres serving TrowbridgeSection titled Recycling%20centres%20serving%20Trowbridge

Trowbridge's nearest option is the Trowbridge Household Recycling Centre on Canal Road Industrial Estate, run by FCC Environment on behalf of Wiltshire Council. Electrical items — including TVs and other larger electricals — are accepted free of charge, alongside batteries, and the council asks that you remove all data and SIM cards before you bring devices in.

• Cars can use the site without booking anything in advance
• Vans, pickups or trailers over 1.8 metres need a Household Recycling Centre Vehicle Permit first — a one-off £21, issued only to residents who pay council tax to Wiltshire Council
• Opening hours change with the season and the site is closed on some weekdays, so check the locations and opening times page before you set off

See the full list of what's accepted on the what you can bring page.

Shop and retailer take-back schemesSection titled Shop%20and%20retailer%20take-back%20schemes

Under the UK's WEEE regulations, any shop selling electricals has to offer a free way to recycle your old one. Some run their own in-store take-back; others pay into the Distributor Take-back Scheme, which funds recycling capacity at council sites instead of taking items back directly. Since 2021, shoppers also get 28 days after buying a replacement — in store or online — to take the old item, of a broadly similar type and not necessarily bought from the same retailer, to any participating shop for free recycling.

Currys, B&Q, Waitrose and John Lewis all take back small electricals in branch for free, with no need to buy anything, across more than 22,000 collection points nationwide. Large supermarkets are also required to provide a battery recycling point, usually near the tills or customer service desk, so loose batteries don't need a special trip.

What Wiltshire Council will collectSection titled What%20Wiltshire%20Council%20will%20collect

Wiltshire Council collects small rechargeable electricals and batteries as part of the fortnightly kerbside recycling round. Items such as MP3 players, electric toothbrushes, shavers and trimmers, vapes and e-cigarettes, smart watches, mobile phones, digital cameras, chargers and power banks, and wireless earphones can be left in a supermarket carrier bag beside your blue-lidded bin or recycling sack, as long as each item is no bigger than a shoebox. As with the recycling centre, remove data and SIM cards first, and never put batteries or anything containing them loose in the general bin — see the battery and small electricals collections page for the full details.

Larger electricals, including TVs and appliances, can go through Wiltshire Council's large item collection service at the same flat rate as other bulky items — currently £34.50 per item — booked in advance and left outside the property by 7am on the collection day, since crews don't enter the house. Our Trowbridge bulky waste guide covers that service in more detail. Council prices and rules do change, so it's worth checking the official page again before you book.

Wipe it, then donate or reuseSection titled Wipe%20it%2C%20then%20donate%20or%20reuse

Clear your data firstSection titled Clear%20your%20data%20first

Before anything leaves the house, sign out of accounts (Apple ID, Google, Microsoft) and remove SIM and memory cards, then use the built-in factory reset on phones, tablets and laptops to wipe personal data. For an old PC or laptop holding sensitive files, a factory reset alone may not be enough — a secure wipe tool, or physically removing and destroying the hard drive, gives more peace of mind before the rest goes for recycling or reuse.

Where to donate working electronicsSection titled Where%20to%20donate%20working%20electronics

If a device still works, it's worth more reused than recycled. The British Heart Foundation Furniture & Electrical Store on Fore Street in Trowbridge sells donated electrical goods alongside furniture, with proceeds going to the charity's heart research, and smaller items can simply be dropped off in branch. For larger electricals, BHF also runs a free home collection service that covers Trowbridge — as with any resale charity, items need to be in good, safe working order since anything that can't be resold can't be reused.

When a private collection makes senseSection titled When%20a%20private%20collection%20makes%20sense

A private collection tends to make sense for a house clearance with a mix of electricals and other waste, an office clear-out, or a broken TV that's too big and heavy to move alone. Trowbridge House Clearance collects e-waste alongside general clearance loads, with licensed disposal and reuse or recycling prioritised over landfill.

Which option fits your situationSection titled Which%20option%20fits%20your%20situation

Related servicesSection titled Related%20services

• E Waste Disposal
• Office Clearance
• Rubbish Removal