07/10/2026
ELECTRONICS WASTE DAY 14 OCTOBER
The Great Cable Challenge: time to tackle your drawer of doom
A drawer filled with tangled electrical wires
Got a drawer full of cables you never use? You’re not alone.
There’s the phone charger you haven’t used since your last upgrade, the HDMI lead you’re keeping “just in case,” and that mystery cable that nobody recognises, yet nobody dares to throw away.
Across the country, an estimated 140 million unused cables are tucked away. If you put them all together, they could stretch around the Earth five times!
Perhaps it’s finally time to tackle that drawer of doom…
Why are old cables worth recycling?
You might think your old leads are just plastic and wire, but hidden inside are valuable materials like copper, aluminium, and even gold.
Copper is particularly important in everyday life. It’s used in everything from mobile phones and public transport to clean energy technologies and lifesaving medical equipment.
If one million people recycled just one cable each, we could save at least 5,000kg of copper, which could be recycled into something new!
So, that tangled mess behind your TV might actually be a tiny treasure trove of resources!
What cables are hiding in your home?
Probably more varieties than you realise.
Some cables might leave you scratching your head about what they’re actually for.
This doesn’t mean everything has to go! If you still enjoy a retro games console or an old camera, those cables remain useful.
But if you’re hoarding a lead for a device that left your life five years ago, it’s definitely time to let it go.
The three-question cable test
Struggling to sort your collection?
Try the Keep, Pass On or Recycle test.
1. Do I actually use it?
If you use it, keep it. However, if it hasn’t been touched in over a year, our Great Cable Guide suggests you probably don’t need it anymore.
2. Could someone else use it?
If it’s still in working order, consider donating it. Apps like Olio, Freegle or Nextdoor can help you find someone who actually needs that charger you’ve been storing for ages.
3. Is it time for it to go?
If you don’t need it and it can’t be reused, recycle it.
One cable can make a difference
Recycling a single cable might seem small, but it adds up.
So, why not open that drawer today? Find the cables you haven’t used in forever, untangle them, and give them a second life
More information at recycleyourelectricals.org.uk
