Everything you need to know about recycling electrical appliances
The information on this page relates to electrical appliances that do not contain batteries. If you are looking for recycling information about an appliance that has an embedded battery, please visit the battery-operated electrical appliances page.
Find an electrical appliance recycler
Electrical includes:
DVD Player
Headphones
Toasters
Blenders
Kettles
Microwaves
Mixer
Food processor
Stick blender
Bread maker
Rice cooker
Electric fry pan
Electric wok
Thermomix
Stereo
Deck
Tape player
VHS machine
DVD machine
Games console
Playstation
Nintendo
E-reader
HiFi
Sound system
Amplifier
Speakers
Record player
Tape Deck
DS
X-box
Wii
CD player
Landline telephone
Sandwich press
FIND A RECYCLER
Learn more about recycling electrical appliances
How to recycle electrical appliances at work
Electrical waste (e-waste) in Australia is a growing problem and a national waste priority. Electrical appliances contain many valuable but toxic components and should be diverted from landfill through reuse or recycling.
Electrical appliances should not be put in recycling bins at home or work. At this stage, Australia does not have a national recycling scheme for all types of electrical appliances. However, there are a number of recycling companies that offer e-waste recycling services, as well as organisations that recycle, refurbish, or reuse electrical appliances and accessories.
Recycling options
Electrical appliances are often split into three categories: small appliances, large appliances and electronics. There will be different recycling services available depending on the type of appliance.
Small appliances – this includes small kitchen appliances, hair devices like curling wands, radios, cameras, gaming consoles and controllers, DVD players, fax machines, e-readers and alarm clocks.
1. There are also a number of independent companies that recycle and refurbish electrical appliances and accessories in Australia. Use the directory on this page to find a recycler in your area. Always call in advance to check if the recycler will accept your electrical product.
2. Some companies operate take-back schemes for their electrical products. The costs of these systems are generally built into the price of the product and provide a convenient avenue for electrical appliance recycling. Check with the manufacturer of your product.
3. Storage King has an e-waste box which can be purchased for a small price.
Large appliances – this includes whitegoods such as fridges, freezers, microwaves, ovens, washing machines and clothes dryers.
•Visit the whitegoods page to find a recycler in your area.
Electronics – this includes mobile phones, computers, computer accessories and televisions.
•Australia has a national recycling scheme for televisions, all kind of computers (including printers and scanners) and computer accessories. Find a recycler through the National TV and Computer Recycling Scheme.
•MobileMuster is a not-for-profit recycling scheme for mobile phones and their accessories. They offer a free one-off collection service for businesses.
Why recycle?
When electrical appliances are thrown away, they become electrical waste or e-waste, which is the fastest growing type of waste in Australia.
Electrical appliances are made up of a broad range of materials including precious metals (such as gold and platinum), toxic heavy metals, metal circuitry, mixed plastics, fire retardants, and glass. When the appliance is recycled, these valuable materials stay in use, which means fewer new or ‘virgin’ materials need to be mined from the ground. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions and prevents valuable materials from going to waste in landfill.
It also protects our environment from hazardous substances that are sometimes found in electrical appliances that must be disposed of responsibly. Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic, as well as flame-retardants, can cause environmental contamination and damage if they leach into the soil in landfills and into water systems.
The Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, and Victoria have banned electronic products from landfill. If you cannot find a recycler in your area through the directory, contact your local council to find out how to dispose of your electrical products.
What happens to them?
In many kinds of electrical products, up to 95% of materials can be recovered for reuse and recycling. When they are recycled, electrical appliances are dismantled and the different components are sorted. Many of the materials including glass, copper, plastics, metals, and precious metals are recovered for further processing so they can be used to make new products.
Reusing and repairing appliances
Reusing and repairing electrical appliances has a better environmental outcome than recycling them or throwing them away, as it keeps the materials used to make the product in use at their highest value for as long as possible.
If the product is in good working order, you can sell it via an online marketplace or donate it to a charity shop so it can be reused again.
There are some companies that offer repair services for electrical appliances, but if you would like to try repairing the product yourself, iFixit offers free repair guides for thousands of electrical and electronic devices.
Fixable is an Australian social enterprise that aims to help people repair products and promote the benefits of repair. The online community offers free advice, discussion groups, skill sharing, and a platform to find repair technicians or trade parts.
Recycling other e-waste
Batteries
Batteries can be recycled for free through Australia’s national product stewardship scheme for batteries, B-cycle.
Computers
Computers and their accessories can be recycled for free through the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme.
Mobile phones
Mobile phones can be recycled for free through MobileMuster’s recycling program.
Printer cartridges
Printer and toner cartridges can be recycled for free through the Cartridges 4 Planet Ark recycling program.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to repair electrical appliances
Repairing broken electrical appliances has a better environmental outcome than recycling them or throwing them away. Repairing the appliance will ensure the materials used to make the product are kept in use at their highest value for as long as possible.
There are some companies that offer repair services for electrical appliances, which can be found by searching Yellow Pages or Google. If you would like to try repairing the product yourself, iFixit offers free repair guides for thousands of electrical and electronic devices.
Fixable is an Australian social enterprise that aims to help people repair products and promote the benefits of repair. The online community offers free advice, discussion groups, skill sharing, and a platform to find repair technicians or trade parts.
Where to donate electrical appliances
Electrical appliances in good working order may be able to be donated to a local charity store. Alternatively, you might like to donate them via an online marketplace such as Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace. Please note, it is illegal to dump old appliances (and other items) on the street.
If your items are not in working order (or you’re unable to donate them for reuse), you may be able to recycle them via a specialist recycler. Electrical appliances should not be placed in the recycling or rubbish bin as they contain hazardous materials that can enter the environment if not handled correctly. Find your nearest recycler via the search bar on this page.
Why should we turn off electrical appliances?
Electrical appliances still use energy whilst they’re not in use/whilst they’re on standby. Turning them off at the wall switch reduces the amount of energy your household or business uses and your carbon footprint. Reducing our energy consumption can assist with reducing the impacts of climate change. Lower energy consumption also equals lower energy bills, so it’s a win-win!
Turning your appliances off when they’re not in use may extend their life, which could save you money as well as benefit the environment by reducing the need for industry to make more products (using valuable and sometimes finite resources).
