Recycling electrical items you remove?

[HappyHippyDad]

I'm a little confused about what can get recycled with regards electrical items, especially downlights, but generally all item... outside lights, old sockets/switches etc etc.

Do you just put all the items in the electrical bins at the recycling centre? I get the feeling this is just for more usual household items like irons and toasters, so perhaps light fittings/sockets etc just end up in landfill, do they really strip these items down?

An outside light for example may be mainly metal rather than an electrical item, perhaps it goes in the metal bin?

The reason I ask it that I get the feeling that the chaps at the recycle centres don't really know.

Is there a better alternative with regards recycling all the used parts you remove?

 

[Midwest]

It's not waste until you dump it at the end of the journey.?

Incorrect. Do some research.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Unless it's 6mm and up I don't really botherstripping cables... Haven't the patience for it.
I weighed some in recently can't recall the prices but got £87 for a couple bags for life filled with random pvc cables. Had lots of swa off cuts and a car battery.
I got around 20kg of cable I will strip though, mainly tails, big swa cores, large t and e etc..
In terms of waste I am currently lucky we have communal bin stores on my development beneath all the apartment buildings 12 of them in total with huge euro bins in each, I make good use of them.
I am moving from a city centre apartment to a 3 bed semi next weekend which will make me have to think about waste more.

 

[telectrix]

3 bed semi will have a garden. DIY landfill.

 

[mattg4321]

I put it in the skip on the job for recycling by the waste company who supplied the skip.

 

[plugsandsparks]

Number of options for me.
commercial / industrial - i use their facilities, generally a metal skip and a general skip, however i always separate the fluorescent tubes and HQIs as i like to take them back to wholesaler who dispose of them with a specialist (yes i have a Upper Tier license)

Very often a "scrap man" turns up with a pick up and takes away the metal , i only hope it eventually gets recycled, usually commercial sites where the skip is easily accessible.

Domestic, same for tubes but use their bins for cardboard and old light fittings.

very occasionally where the amount of waste would overload a site, i take my trailer and cart the lot to a recycler where often i get money, which pays for the cost of removal.