Donating electricals: what's accepted, and where the rest goes

Short answer: electricals need to be clean, complete (plug and cable intact), and PAT-testable for a shop to sell them. If it's broken beyond that, it needs a WEEE recycling point, not a charity shop.

What makes an electrical item donatable

• Clean, with the plug and full cable intact — missing cables are one of the most common reasons shops turn items away.
• Must be safety-testable (PAT testing) — most shops PAT test in-house before selling, but can't do that on visibly damaged casings or exposed wiring.
• Include the manual and all original parts if you still have them; it makes the item easier to sell and safer to test.

Power tools count too

Drills, sanders, jigsaws and the rest follow exactly the same rule as any other electrical: clean, complete with cable and any battery, and PAT-testable before a shop can sell it. Hand tools — spanners, screwdrivers, hand saws — aren't electrical at all, so they're judged the same way as other bric-a-brac: clean, functional, and not badly rusted.

Not working, or damaged?

• Council bulky waste collection or a local WEEE recycling point — most household waste recycling centres and many large supermarkets have one.
• Small electronics specifically: Currys PC World accepts old electronics for recycling regardless of where you originally bought them.
• Some items are refused outright by most shops regardless of condition — see our note on electric blankets and other items shops won't take.

Check the shops currently accepting electricals before you make the trip — not every shop tests and sells them.