WEEE and e-waste disposal in Chichester: a practical guide

What counts as e-wasteSection titled What%20counts%20as%20e-waste

WEEE stands for waste electrical and electronic equipment, but the plain-language version is simpler: if it has a plug, a battery or a cable, it counts. That covers everything from the obviously electronic to the easily forgotten, like an old phone charger sitting in a drawer.

• Phones and tablets
• Computers and laptops
• TVs and monitors
• Small appliances - kettles, toasters, irons, hairdryers
• Cables and chargers
• Batteries and vapes

Why it should never go in the binSection titled Why%20it%20should%20never%20go%20in%20the%20bin

Electricals in the general bin are more than just a missed recycling opportunity. Lithium batteries hidden inside phones, vapes, laptops and even electric toothbrushes can be punctured or crushed by bin lorries and sorting machinery, sparking fires - a problem serious enough that Material Focus links well over a thousand waste-fire incidents a year to batteries ending up in the wrong bin.

There is also a cost to throwing electricals away rather than recycling them: the metals, plastics and glass inside old appliances and gadgets can be recovered and reused, but only if they go through proper WEEE recycling rather than landfill.

Recycling centres serving ChichesterSection titled Recycling%20centres%20serving%20Chichester

Chichester's household waste recycling centre is run by West Sussex County Council at Coach Road, Westhampnett, Chichester PO18 0NX. It takes electricals free of charge from West Sussex households, with:

• Separate containers for small WEEE such as kettles, irons and mobile phones
• A dedicated area for TVs and monitors
• A battery collection point

If you're arriving by car you'll need to book a visit slot in advance - anyone arriving on foot, by bike or by mobility scooter can turn up without booking. You'll also need to show proof that you live in West Sussex. Opening hours run 9am to 6pm daily from April to September, and 9am to 4pm from October to March.

Shop and retailer take-back schemesSection titled Shop%20and%20retailer%20take-back%20schemes

Under the Distributor Take-back Scheme, retailers selling electricals have to help customers recycle their old items - either by offering their own take-back in store or by funding local recycling infrastructure instead. In practice, this means most electrical retailers will take an old item off your hands, like-for-like, when you buy a replacement.

Some go further: according to Recycle Your Electricals, retailers including Currys, B&Q, Waitrose and John Lewis accept small electricals in store for free even without a new purchase, and many shops will take back an old item up to 28 days after you've bought a replacement - it doesn't need to have come from the same shop. It's worth asking in-store or checking a retailer's own recycling page before you make a special trip elsewhere.

What Chichester District Council will collectSection titled What%20Chichester%20District%20Council%20will%20collect

Chichester District Council previously ran a trial kerbside collection for small electricals, textiles and coffee pods, but this service ended on 28 November 2025 and is no longer available. For small electricals now, the recycling centre and retailer take-back above are the practical routes.

For larger items that won't fit in the car, the council's bulky household waste collection can take large domestic appliances such as fridges, freezers and cookers, priced at £36 for the first item and £20 for each additional item, up to eight items per booking. Rules on which electrical items qualify do change, so check the current eligible items list and price when you book. TVs and smaller electricals are generally simpler to take to the recycling centre or a retailer take-back point, both of which are free.

Wipe it, then donate or reuseSection titled Wipe%20it%2C%20then%20donate%20or%20reuse

Clear your data firstSection titled Clear%20your%20data%20first

Before any device leaves the house, sign out of accounts and remove any SIM or memory cards, then factory-reset phones, tablets and laptops so personal data doesn't travel with them. For old hard drives or anything that held sensitive information, a secure wipe or physical destruction is worth the extra few minutes - factory resets aren't always enough on their own for a device you're handing to someone else.

Where to donate working electronicsSection titled Where%20to%20donate%20working%20electronics

If it still works, it's worth more reused than recycled. British Heart Foundation runs a furniture and electrical store in Chichester at 19-22 Southgate, PO19 1ES, which accepts donated electricals such as TVs, small appliances and audio equipment, either dropped in store or via their free home collection service. Proceeds go towards funding heart research, so a working item you no longer need can do some good rather than sitting in a cupboard.

When a private collection makes senseSection titled When%20a%20private%20collection%20makes%20sense

A recycling centre visit or a shop drop-off works well for a few portable items, but it makes less sense for a house clearance with a mix of old electricals, an office clear-out with several monitors and towers, or a broken TV too heavy and awkward to fit in the car. Chichester House Clearance collects e-waste alongside general clearance loads, with everything disposed of through licensed waste carriers.

Which option fits your situationSection titled Which%20option%20fits%20your%20situation

Related servicesSection titled Related%20services

• E Waste Disposal
• Office Clearance
• Rubbish Removal