Environmental New Years Resolutions

Environmental New Years Resolutions

Lots of us start the new year with grand plans for the year ahead. Some of us make New Year’s Resolutions, ranging from getting fitter, eating healthier to taking up new hobbies. This year, why not consider making recycling your electricals part of your resolutions?

Recycle Your Electricals has provided some ‘Top Tips’ for making your New Year’s Resolutions greener by turning them into ‘New Year’s Eco-lutions’. From saving money to giving back to those in need, these ‘eco-lutions’ show us just how easy it is to recycle our electricals by turning traditional resolutions into green ones!

“We are calling on UK householders to recycle their electricals as part of their new year resolutions. Some of the best New Year resolutions are ones that are easy to achieve,, and recycling electricals is one simple step all householders can make to do their bit for the planet. My new year’s resolution is to declutter my house: so I’m going to finally clear out my cupboard and recycle the old cables and printer I have in there,” said Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus

E-waste is the fastest growing source of waste in the UK and in the world – with over 155,000 tonnes of household electrical waste thrown away every year and 527 million electrical items hoarded in UK homes. 80% of us already think recycling e-waste is the right thing: therefore, it seems fitting that recycling your old and unwanted electricals is one of your new year’s resolutions.

Cash strapped January?

If one of your resolutions is to save a bit of money – especially after Christmas and during the current cost of living crisis – then why not gather up your old working electricals and sell them?

Recycle Your Electricals’ research found that you could make up to £620 per household by selling your old electricals. On average, the UK has one unused laptop and one unused tablet per household. The average price that could be achieved by selling a secondhand laptop is £165 while a tablet could fetch an average price of £110. Mobile phones can command an average of £110 and games consoles £125. Find out how to make money from selling your old tech here.

‘Recycle while running!’

Getting fit is one of UK householders top New Year’s resolutions, with research showing that 43% of people choose this as their top commitment. Try incorporating doing good in your gym activities by including recycling into your fitness frenzy by collecting up your old cables, headphones or phone, popping them in a bag, and heading to Recycle Your Electricals’ postcode locator to find your nearest, or farthest 😉, recycling drop-off point. Remember, the more electricals you carry the more calories you’ll burn!

New you, new skill?

2023 could be your year for learning new things. Learning to repair your old electricals that seem a bit tattered is a great way to learn a new skill. There are Repair Cafes across the UK where you can meet and learn all about repairing things. In each one you’ll find tools and materials to help you make any repairs you need.

Head to Recycle Your Electricals’ ‘Repair page’ to find out more about repairing your old electricals.

Giving back to those in need – Give Back January.

You may want to consider donating your old and unwanted electricals as one of your new year’s resolutions.

Especially in the digital age we’re in, this is a wonderful way to give back to those less fortunate – after all, that’s what the festive season is all about.

Last Christmas 40% of UK adults bought nearly 40 million items of household tech from Black Friday to Christmas, resulting in 4.2 million unwanted electricals being abandoned. Some 2.2 million of these abandoned electricals are hoarded away, with 2 million of them thrown in the bin. If we donate these items to those in need, the value would be £136 million.

Find more information on donating your old electricals.

Being more eco-conscious

The environment is at the forefront of a lot of people’s minds right now, and recycling your electricals is a simple way of fulfilling your environmental New Year’s resolutions. If we recycled all our old electricals we would cut as much CO2 as taking 1.3 million cars off the road. Recycling electricals would also create hundreds of new jobs in electrical reuse and recycling – and save valuable raw materials from being lost forever like gold, copper and steel.

Recycling your electricals has never been easier – simply head to Recycle Your Electricals’ website and pop in your postcode to find your nearest drop-off point.

Become an eco-advocate

Spreading the message of recycling electricals is just as important as recycling them. Do this by telling your friends and family that ‘anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled’ and letting them know about the Recycle Your Electricals’ Locator. A great way to start 2023 would be working together to stop the e-waste problem.

Leicester TV

Education Technology Day must be extended to prisons

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Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

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