Now in its third year, the funding programme has already established 900 collection points, helping 33,000 items be ‘rehomed’ and saving 900 tonnes of waste.
Run by Material Focus, the Electricals Recycling Fund (ERF) reopened last week, inviting applications from local authorities and other organisations, effectively paying for them to set up accessible local reuse solutions to tackle the fastest growing problem in waste management.
In total, £1 million is available to get 2026 schemes off the ground, including £500,000 from the Distributor Takeback Scheme, operated by Valpak Ltd. The remaining money has come via Material Focus and the ERF.
Applications are open until 31st May 2026, with successful submission notified no later than 4th July 2026. Up to £0.50 per household served is available, capped at £100,000 per applicant. You can find out more details about criteria, or submit an idea, here.
‘As we enter the third year of the Electricals Recycling Fund, we are building on the proven success of tackling e-waste in the UK,’ said Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus. ‘Over 70 pilots have already shown that when you make recycling easier and more visible, people respond.
‘This £1 million investment will help councils and partners test and scale practical solutions that can be rolled out more widely, ensuring fewer electricals are held onto or thrown away, and more are reused or responsibly recycled,’ he continued.
Previous examples of successful applications include Richmond Council installing 20 outdoor ‘bring banks’ across the borough. Meanwhile, in Lewisham 27 bring bangs were established at street level, leading to an 800% increase on previous electrical recycling collection rates. Elsewhere, Hillingdon received funding for 15 pink drop-off bins at community libraries, supported by Friends of the Earth-hosted repair events that stopped 100 items being sent to landfill.
Image: Material Focus
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