Why TV presenter Jean Johansson is calling on Scottish homes to recycle their cables

The Scottish TV presenter has teamed up with Recycle Your Electricals to encourage UK households to reduce e-waste. | Adobe Stock / Getty Images

It’s something that TV presenter Jean Johansson – best known for hosting shows such as A Place in the Sun – is looking to change with the help of Recycle Your Electricals.

Led by non-profit Material Focus, the campaign hopes to help households in the UK declutter their “drawers of doom” and make better use of almost 1.3 billion in binned or unused electricals – including some 627 million cables.

Do you have a "drawer of doom" at home? | Ladanifer - stock.adobe.com

On International E-Waste Day (October 14) the organisation launched The Great Cable Challenge, something which Johansson has thrown her weight behind.

As a working parent, she knows how easy it can be to let things gather, especially when events like Black Friday roll around.

“We sort of buy [things] because it's a bargain, and then months later realise there's a lot of stuff lying about we haven't used or not even opened sometimes,” she explained.

“I don't know if you've got a drawer of doom, [but] I think it's such a great name because I think we've all got one. Especially with Junior and his games and earphones. And he, like all teenagers, they break a lot of stuff and you never seem to get rid of it.

“So I sort of had this drawer with all these tangled cables myself, and then took them to my local recycling centre.”

Recycle Your Electricals even offer a handy tool on their website which allows you to search for your closest recycling centre by postcode – whether it's your local tip or even a retailer which collects old electricals.

Jean Johansson added: “I just think it's a good thing to remind people to do because sometimes, if you don't think about it, you just let those drawers get busier and fuller. It's dead easy to pop your postcode in and find out where your nearest recycling place is and get rid of those cables.”

She also thinks taking steps such as recycling old unwanted cables and gadgets plays into a renewed focus from consumers on saving money and sustainability, with many now choosing to shop secondhand through marketplaces such as Vinted.

She said: “And it's not just cables. I think we're all getting so much better now with Vinted and passing on clothes and giving things a new life. So, you know, we need to do it with everything, with all our recyclables and all those cables as well.

“I think over the past decade or so, and learning more about landfill and where stuff goes, I think as a nation, as Brits, we've all gotten a bit more cognizant of [waste].”

Recycling cables could help prevent future copper shortage

And while a new study from Recycle Your Electricals found that more of us than ever are recycling, there’s perhaps less awareness over how important it is when it comes to materials such as copper.

Research from Bloomberg Intelligence shows that there is a growing gap in the amount of copper being produced compared to demand for the raw product. Experts predict that by 2033 the gap will be around 6.5 million tonnes.

However, one step in solving this problem is to ensure that products with copper are being recycled properly.

In various “drawers of doom” across the UK, there are around 38,449 tonnes of copper hidden within unwanted electricals which, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, could solve the UK’s annual demand.

Cables play a large role in this as they are made up of at least 20% copper, with the 627 million binned or unused cables in the UK equating to 3,252 tonnes of the material. That’s enough to go to the moon and back.

Scotland alone is responsible for around 87 million unused or binned cables, which is equivalent in height to 65,172 Ben Nevis’.

Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the UK with its summit 1,345m above sea level.

Discussing such an immense visual, Jean Johansson said: “Scotland is such a naturally beautiful country, we really have to do everything we can to keep it that way.

“Like my recycling centre was a 10 minute drive away, we've all got them really close by so we all just need to use them and that message needs to get into every household.”

Jean Johansson does think that children will be key when it comes to environmental concerns such as these as they “take in the messaging better”, but that we can still take small steps toward those goals.

“In a small country like Scotland it's really important that we are sustainable and that that's the message that we're getting across to new generations.”

As for her advice on taking on The Great Cable Challenge, Jean Johansson recommends only buying what you need, recycling when you can and building sustainable habits.

She explained: “A lot of it's about prevention.

“It's not always going to be perfect, but if you do one thing – whether that's the cables, the clothes, your electronics – start with that and just make it a habit for your family, which I'm trying to do.

“So the message is just start with one thing and then before you know, you'll have decluttered your whole house which is what we all want – all those cupboards and drawers emptied.”

Even though International E-Waste Day has passed, the need for recycling old electronics is still present. To get involved with The Great Cable Challenge, visit Recycle Your Electricals online to view their cable guide and recycling location finder.