Think green while you spring clean!

The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) is calling on Londoners to think green as they spring clean and sort out old toasters, defunct radios and obsolete kettles. Residents are encouraged to visit their local Reuse and Recycling Centres and put old electrical equipment into the right bins, to reduce the number of broken (or simply unwanted) electrical products that currently go to landfill.

Since 2007, all electrical equipment - anything that requires a plug or batteries to operate - has been covered by the WEEE Directive. This European legislation holds producers of such equipment responsible for recycling and, by extension, encourages consumers to ensure that fewer items are thrown away and wasted.

Paul James, Head of WEEE Services at DHL, which is working with London Boroughs to collect waste electrical items, commented: "In the UK alone we generate over 1 million tonnes of electrical waste, so there is no better time for households in the area to have a spring clean and regain the space that old electrical equipment is taking up.

"And it's so easy to do. We have now set up specially marked bins for different types of electrical waste at civic amenity sites so residents can just turn up and quickly dispose of their unwanted items. We will then take away all the old equipment and recycle it, using the materials to make a whole range of new products and items."