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Electric blankets

(29 Posts)
ExDancer Fri 17-Apr-26 12:01:35

My trusty old fashioned electric blanket has finally died and I have a nice efficient new one.
But what do I do with the old one?
I think last time this happened I just put it in the rubbish bin with the rest of the household waste, as we did in the days before recycling.
Now everything has its place in waste collection bins and boxes and bags and I have no idea what to do with this old tatty worn out one.

I know councils vary in what they will and won't collect - but where do you think I should dispose of it? My nearest council tip is a good 5 miles (in the wrong direction from my usual shopping trips, and with petrol the price it is .....)

TheSunRisesInTheEast Fri 17-Apr-26 12:10:17

I'd put it in the black bin (general waste that can't be recycled.)

Enjoy your new electric blanket 🥵😂.

tanith Fri 17-Apr-26 12:11:29

Check your local council waste disposal page they will what can and can't go in each bin.

Jaxjacky Fri 17-Apr-26 13:08:09

Our old one went in the black bin too.

NotAGran55 Fri 17-Apr-26 19:20:49

recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/

I did a local search on this site, and it directed me to B&Q in a nearby town where electric blankets can be recycled.

Electrical items shouldn’t be put in domestic bins as they are a fire risk.

TheSunRisesInTheEast Fri 17-Apr-26 19:26:02

We don't have a B & Q, unfortunately.

How can electrical items be a fire risk if they aren't plugged in? 🤔

Casdon Fri 17-Apr-26 19:35:20

Our recycling centre has a bin for small electrical items, I’d take it there.

NotAGran55 Fri 17-Apr-26 20:44:01

Electric blankets and other electrical items are increasingly causing fires in bin lorries (dustcarts) and recycling facilities across the UK. These fires occur when discarded electrical items are mixed with household waste and compact.

Cause of Fires in Dustcarts
Compaction Sparks: When electric blankets, batteries, and other small electrical items are thrown into general waste or recycling, the powerful compaction mechanism in the lorry crushes them, causing batteries to sustain damage.
These "bin-ter" fires are common, with reports of around 700 fires every year in dustcarts.
Electric blankets themselves can be damaged during disposal, contributing to the high risk of fire.
Disposal Advice: Items with batteries, including electric blankets and electric toys, should never be placed in household bins, but taken to specialized recycling centres.

I would hang onto it until I was able to take it to a recycling centre, or ask someone to help me do it.

Redrobin51 Fri 17-Apr-26 21:10:37

My husband took my old much beloved electric blanket to the council tip to be disposed of.

25Avalon Fri 17-Apr-26 22:22:26

Our council recycle small electrical items so you could probably put this in the recycling bin where I am. It could be worth calling your local council to see what they advise.

MT62 Fri 17-Apr-26 23:22:37

It would just go in non-recyclable at our tip, so bin it!

NotSpaghetti Sat 18-Apr-26 00:47:55

I think, asit doesn't have a battery you could bin it.
Unless you want to strip the wire out?

Doodledog Sat 18-Apr-26 06:31:01

Waste disposal is getting more and more difficult to do responsibly, which is ironic, as it is recycling that makes it so tricky. If you don’t have a car it’s all but impossible to get to many tips, and even if you do there are many items that don’t fit easily into disposal categories.

Given that TPTB are burning huge amounts of oil n their power games it seems madness that we all agonise over which bag to put which sort of plastic, or whether shiny paper can be put with matte.

ExDancer Mon 20-Apr-26 12:27:40

I do agree doodlebug, so I put it in with household waste and the binmen took it this morning.
I agree with the principle of recycling but it can leave us with unnecessary guilt feelings when disposing of our rubbish. Then I see the wars all over the globe, people like the Sussexes going on jollies to Australia and other blatant wases of energy and I think "what difference does one little electric blanket make?".
So I threw it in the bin.

Casdon Mon 20-Apr-26 12:49:09

As long as you have a car, recycling virtually everything is feasible where I am. I keep a plastic crate in my garage, and when it’s full of miscellaneous bits and pieces I take it there. They also have a shop, so if I have something that somebody else might want it goes in there. It’s a really great service.

25Avalon Mon 20-Apr-26 14:05:25

Do not put into general waste. It can be dangerous and cause a fire. What you can do is cut the seam open and remove all the wires and control unit. This can then go into small electrical items waste with the recycling bin. The fabric remaining can then be disposed of separately in the recycle bin or given to the cat and dog’s home as bedding.

Doodledog Mon 20-Apr-26 16:14:27

This all assumes a number of things that may or may not apply to the OP.

We don't have a small electrical waste in the recycling bin. We have two bins - one for cardboard and some types of plastic, and the other one for everything else. Glass can be separated and taken to the tip if you have a car or are fit enough to carry it to the (out of town) tip, but otherwise goes in the general waste bin.

Cat and dog homes are not on every doorstep, and if the OP is not a driver may be as inaccessible to her as they would be to me. Also, burning fuel to drive to and from rescue centres and tips contributes to global warming. I can't say whether recycling an electric blanket is better or worse for the environment than a single use car journey to the nearest one that accepts fabric for bedding, but it's not as straightforward as these things are often made to seem.

So many people run their own lives around having access to a car they can drive, and assume that everyone else can do the same, which is not the case.

Casdon Mon 20-Apr-26 19:25:41

OP did say she had access to a car, but the recycling plant was five miles away.

M0nica Mon 20-Apr-26 20:44:00

NotAGran55

recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/

I did a local search on this site, and it directed me to B&Q in a nearby town where electric blankets can be recycled.

Electrical items shouldn’t be put in domestic bins as they are a fire risk.

it isn't electrical items themselves that are a fire risk. It is the rechargeable batteries they often contain these days that are the fire risk. An electric blanket is only a fire risk when plugged in and black bins do not have plug sockets.

You could take it to your local tip and put it in the 'small electrical' disposal area.

ExDancer Tue 21-Apr-26 13:00:47

Well it's too late now, it went into the household waste and the bin men took it away. Not much I can do about it.
We don't have a small electrical item bin.

twiglet77 Tue 21-Apr-26 13:04:15

Our recycling centre and a local shopping centre have bins for small electrical items and I think several stores accept them for safe recycling.

recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21652797960&gclid=CjwKCAjwwJzPBhBREiwAJfHRnX20MGvYEWokLTr4eyGjbWnpJN5yDtzijS1QqrjKZWUTcGivM7p-fRoCJacQAvD_BwE

TheSunRisesInTheEast Tue 21-Apr-26 21:48:07

I know all this recycling is to save the planet, but the bin situation is getting ridiculous. We have two blue bins for recycling, two black bins for general waste, two green bins for garden waste, and we've just had another black bin delivered by the Council with a small grey bin inside. That's 7 big wheelie bins, plus a smaller bin, it's ridiculous.

Basgetti Tue 21-Apr-26 22:16:05

MT62

It would just go in non-recyclable at our tip, so bin it!

It would go in small electrical appliances at ours.
We really can’t carry on just chucking everything away! So much of an electric blanket can be recycled.
Op: maybe post on freecycle, asking whether someone can collect it from you and take it to the centre.

Sadgrandma Tue 21-Apr-26 23:29:00

Why not telephone your local Council's Refuse Department and ask them.

TheSunRisesInTheEast Wed 22-Apr-26 02:15:32

ExDancer

Well it's too late now, it went into the household waste and the bin men took it away. Not much I can do about it.
We don't have a small electrical item bin.

It's already been disposed of.