В Великобритании почти половина электроники для животных выбрасывается, что создает угрозу пожаров

Annual PetTech purchases hit 67 million items as the category approaches £3 billion in consumer spending, but nearly half end up discarded - adding a fast-growing stream of small WEEE to the waste system. UK consumers threw away nearly 30 million electrical pet products in the past year - 44 per cent of the 67 million items purchased over the same period - according to an Opinium survey of 4,000 adults commissioned by Material Focus, the not-for-profit organisation behind the Recycle Your Electricals campaign. Annual spending on the category has reached nearly £3 billion. Dogs account for more than 45 million of the items bought. A further six million PetTech products are sitting unused in homes, and 13 million have been used once or not at all. Fieldwork was carried out in May 2025, with the findings published this month. Many of the discarded items - cameras, smart feeders, LED collars, grooming devices - contain rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. The National Fire Chiefs Council recorded more than 1,200 battery fires in bin lorries and waste facilities in a single 12-month period, a 71 per cent increase from 700 in 2022, and described fires involving lithium-ion batteries as "a disaster waiting to happen." Entertainment products dominate PetTech purchasing. The survey found 24 million electrical pet toys were bought in the past year, making up 51 per cent of spending. Grooming accessories (6.8 million items) and feeding or drinking equipment (6.2 million) were the next largest categories, followed by nearly eight million communication devices including more than three million pet cameras. "70 per cent of us are now recycling unwanted electricals but there's more work to be done if we want to curb the tide of bin lorry and waste centre fires," said Scott Butler, Executive Director at Material Focus. Butler said many owners already pass PetTech on to friends and family, but added that the materials inside discarded items - lithium, copper and gold - are being lost when they go to general waste. Material Focus says more than 30,000 reuse and recycling points for electricals now exist across the UK. The organisation has partnered with Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and television presenter Pete Wicks for the latest phase of its campaign, which directs consumers to its online Recycling Locator. Pet ownership has reached 59 per cent of the UK population, according to the survey, with more than half of owners describing their pets as their children. Average annual PetTech spending per animal stands at £139.80, and 12 per cent of parents said they spent more on their pets than on their own children. resource.co article ai How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK? There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.