Cash for Trash is Currys’ short-term recycling initiative designed to get unused tech out of your home and money in your pocket.
The retailer claims the initiative is the UK’s first recycling scheme to offer monetary rewards for old tech – even for items customers might assume are worthless.
Currys is calling on anyone with old, broken or unused tech to take it to their nearest store and get a voucher worth a minimum of £5. The company is also offering £100 off any TV over £1000 when you trade in your old one, along with up to £40 off selected small appliances when you trade in old gadgets.
The scheme is based on research commissioned by YouGov that found 67% of Brits were holding on to old mobiles, 55% had kept unused cameras and 50% still had their old headphones laying around the house. Other items Brits hoard included hairdryers and straighteners, old landline phones and even white goods.
The survey also found that nearly 4 in 10 Brits would be more likely to recycle their tech if there was a financial incentive or if they could be sure that their personal data was being disposed of properly.
While Currys already collects around 5500 thousand tonnes of tech each month, the company is hoping to surpass that target with Cash for Trash by screening, recycling, repairing and rehoming even more old tech.
“We are already helping thousands of customers recycle unwanted tech every day. But Cash for Trash aims to take it to the next level”, said Currys chief supply chain officer, Lindsay Haselhurst.
“This trial is all about making recycling easy and rewarding. We’re urging the nation to look in drawers, under the sofa and up in the loft – as these unused tech devices that have seen better days could be repaired, rehomed, or recycled into something new. We really are accepting any tech, bought from anywhere, even if it’s broken – it might look like trash, but it isn’t to us”.
Cash for Trash will run for one month only, so you’ll want to get your rubbish in fast. The scheme will be trialled in Currys stores from now until April 15.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
