Waste not, want not with weeebuy.co.uk

The UK’s first recycling website to offer cash for all types of electrical waste has been launched - and the Woodland Trust is set to benefit!

As the name suggests, weeebuy.co.uk has been established in response to the Waste and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE), aimed at reducing the amount of electrical equipment being produced. Every year people in Britain throw away more than one million tonnes of electrical waste, much of it ending in landfill and proving hazardous to the environment.

The site will offer consumers instant valuations on six main electrical gadgets including laptops, MP3 players, games consoles, mobiles, digital cameras and sat-navs. Sellers can also get valuations for items such as hair straighteners, power tools and vacuum cleaners.  For every basket recycled, a minimum of 25p will go directly to the Woodland Trust, to help plant native trees across the UK.

Chris Rogerson, co-founder of weeebuy.co.uk, said:

"The WEEE Directive aims to divert about 20 per cent of the nation’s electrical waste away from landfill.

"Previously, electrical recycling companies would charge to collect and recycle consumer electrical waste. weeebuy.co.uk will be the first site to offer cash and free collection for items in all ten WEEE categories.

"weeebuy.co.uk will help people reduce the amount of electrical waste potentially ending up in the ground and we can recycle/reuse a huge proportion of items deemed as waste, meaning less will need to be
manufactured."

WEEE waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the EU and can contain a range of toxic compounds, including lead, cadmium and mercury. Just one discarded mobile phone has the potential to pollute up to 600,000 tonnes of water.

Rogerson added: "We hope by offering to reward people for old electrical items more people will recycle their goods rather than taking them to the tip. This really is the future for electrical waste."

Yasmine Davies at the Woodland Trust, said: "By recycling with weeebuy.co.uk you will be directly contributing to our “More Trees, More Good” campaign which aims to plant 20 million native trees in the UK every year for the next 50 years. 

"The UK is one of the least wooded countries in Europe with four per cent native woodland cover - our aim is to double this figure. Businesses like weeebuy.co.uk make it easy for everyone to do their part in improving our environment. Every time any electrical item is recycled, you’ll be making a real difference."

See how much your electrical items are worth at www.weeebuy.co.uk

Notes to editors

For media enquiries contact:

Alex Claydon in the Woodland Trust Press Office, on 0845 293 5691 or 0845 293 5605, email: alexclaydon@woodlandtrust.org.uk

The Woodland Trust:

The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters.

The Trust has three key aims: i) to enable the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees ii) to protect native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future iii) to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees

Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free.