Electric Avenue

Sparking change in Bristol by reusing electrical products.

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Spark change in the heart of Bristol with Electric Avenue

Did you know? The UK produces more electrical waste per person than any other country in the world (except for Norway). There are around 40 million gadgets currently sitting unused in UK homes and around 1.9 million households which are ‘digitally disconnected’ and would benefit from access to items many of us consider a necessity. The amount of electrical waste the world will produce in 2021 weighs more than the Giza Pyramid or the Great Wall of China!

In late 2021, we called on all Bristol households to have a search in drawers, cupboards, and boxes to uncover and donate long-forgotten electricals. Environmental charity Hubbub then tested them for safety so they could be re-homed through the Electric Avenue pop-up store in Bristol City Centre.

The project was a collaboration between Bristol Waste and Hubbub and funded by Ecosurety.

Gwen Frost and Councillor Nicola Beech in front of the Electric Avenue pop up shop in Bristol

How Bristol got involved

Bristol households donated all sorts of electrical items, including heaters, fans, hairdryers, blenders, nutribullets, slow cookers, popcorn makers, coffee machines, radios, speakers, amps, electronic items – phones, TVs and more!

The Reuse Shop at the recycling centre in Avonmouth

There was also the chance to win a £50 Reuse Shop Voucher

Anyone who donated an electrical item to the Avonmouth Reuse Shop or the Electric Avenue pop-up store between 26th November and 5th December was eligible to enter a prize draw for a £50 Reuse Shop Voucher.  The winner will be announced soon!

For more information, please see the competitions terms and conditions.

Computers in the Reuse Shop

You can still donate items to the Reuse Shop

Didn’t get a chance to donate to the Electric Avenue pop-up shop? Good news – the Reuse Shop takes donations of working electricals all-year round! Please make sure all data is wiped before donating anything with memory storage.

Reuse Shop
Circuit board showing a computer chip

I have an electrical item that needs to be repaired/is broken

Needs to be repaired – You can find resources to fix your item online or at repair cafes and centres around Bristol.

Is broken – Your Bristol Waste team will be collecting electrical items for recycling as usual. To recycle an item, please put it in a plastic carrier bag and place it next to your usual recycling. Your Bristol Waste crew will make sure it gets recycled.

Repairing an electric product

How can I extend the life of electricals more generally?

If you have items to give away, you can drop them off to the Avonmouth Reuse Store all year round. Alternatively, you can post them for free on websites such as Gumtree, Olio, Freegle or on Facebook marketplace.

If you need help making your devices last longer, environmental charity Hubbub have pulled together some simple tips.