UK school children challenged to hunt out 880 million unwanted electricals as Hidden Treasure Hunt returns

• UK wide campaign gives primary schools teaching resources to turn classroom learning into recycling action at home

• Families can register recycling visits to earn points for participating schools, with Currys Gift Cards worth £20,000 available

• Almost 79,000 electrical items were recycled, repaired or reused during the campaign’s first year

Primary schools across the UK are being invited to take part in the Hidden Treasure Hunt as the free education and recycling initiative returns for a second year.

Schools receive free teaching resources to help children learn about the valuable materials inside everyday electricals and why they should be repaired, donated, sold or recycled and never thrown away.

Phones, laptops, tablets and games consoles that still work could be donated, sold, or traded in. Material Focus research published in 2024 estimates that households could raise up to £6,330 by selling unused tech, giving families another reason to take part.

The UK currently throws away 103,000 tonnes of electricals, with raw materials inside estimated to be worth around £488 million. Materials like gold, copper and lithium, can be recovered and used again in new technology, including lifesaving medical equipment.

The campaign also carries an important safety message: recycling electricals correctly helps prevent battery fires. Lithium-ion batteries hidden inside everyday items can be crushed or damaged when placed in general waste or household recycling, causing serious fires in bin lorries and waste facilities.

How families and school can take part

Teachers can register an eligible UK primary school through The Pod, Wastebuster’s school platform, to access free lessons, activities, posters and materials to take home.

Families can then:

Rummage for old, broken or unwanted electricals at home, from phones and headphones to chargers, electricals toys and electric toothbrushes

Recycle their broken items, or donate or sell working items

Register a qualifying recycling visit to earn a Planet Care point for a participating school and, where eligible, enter an individual prize draw to win a £100 Currys gift card

Electricals can be recycled at over 30,000 collection points across the UK, including Currys stores. Families recycling through Currys can also benefit from trade in value for eligible items and Currys’ Cash for Trash scheme, receiving at least a £5 discount voucher on purchases over £25. (*Terms and conditions apply).

Recycling points are listed on the Recycle Your Electricals locator, with most people in the UK within 15 minutes of their nearest drop off point.

New for this year, primary schools will compete on separate small and large school leaderboards giving schools of different sizes better opportunities to win. Gift cards worth £5,000, £2,500 and £1,000 will be awarded to the three highest ranking schools in each category to spend on technology to support pupil learning. Further prize draws will give schools and families more chances to be rewarded.

The Hidden Treasure Hunt is developed and delivered by Wastebuster as part of the national Recycle Your Electricals campaign in partnership with Currys, Material Focus, Ecogenesys, DHL and GAP Group.

Moira Thomas, Group Sustainability and ESG Director. said:

“Almost 79,000 unwanted electricals had the chance to be repaired, reused or recycled through the Hidden Treasure Hunt last year. It gets children talking about tech waste at home, and gives schools the chance to win prizes. At Currys, we’re on a mission to give tech a longer life, so we’d love even more schools and families to get involved and bring their old tech to their local store.”

Katy Newnham, Founder and CEO, Wastebuster, said:

“The Hidden Treasure Hunt is about helping children see unwanted electricals differently – not as rubbish, but as something that could still have value or contain valuable materials that can be used again.

“Last year, children and families gave almost 79,000 electricals the opportunity for repair, reuse or recycling. This year, we want to inspire even more families to rummage through their homes, uncover their hidden treasure and take positive action. By making reuse and recycling fun and rewarding, we can help children build habits that last far beyond the campaign.”

Scott Butler, Executive Director, Material Focus, leading the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, said:

“With 880 million electricals gathering dust in UK homes, there is a huge opportunity to put working tech back into use and recover valuable materials from the rest.

Our message is simple: anything with a plug, battery or cable should never be binned. By helping children understand that electricals should be repaired, donated, sold or recycled the Hidden Treasure Hunt can build habits that benefit families, schools and the environment.”

Graeme Milne, Chief Executive, Ecogenesys, said:

“Ecogenesys represents some of the UK's leading electrical producers and is pleased to again be supporting the Hidden Treasure Hunt, alongside key partners. There are thousands of locations across the UK to recycle electricals and working with schools, we hope that this campaign will show even more families just how easy it is, contributing to a more circular economy for the future.”

Paul Stone, Managing Director, DHL Supply Chain UK & Ireland, said:

“The Hidden Treasure Hunt is a brilliant example of how education, sustainability and community action can come together to drive real change. For these materials to be recovered and given a second life, they must first move through a safe, efficient and traceable supply chain – and that’s where logistics plays a critical role. We’re proud to support a campaign that not only helps tackle the UK’s growing e-waste challenge, but also inspires children and families to think differently about the value of the technology sitting unused at home. By connecting schools with responsible recycling pathways at scale, we’re helping to build a more circular economy and a greener future for the next generation.”

Peter Moody, Group CEO, GAP Group North East:

“Every other part of this campaign gets unwanted electricals moving out of the drawer, into a collection point and on their way. Our job begins where that journey ends. As a WEEE recycler, GAP Group is where the hidden treasure is actually uncovered. Sorting what families and schools bring in, recovering the valuable materials locked inside and giving the right items a second life.

“That means we can show children what really happens to that old toy, charger or electric toothbrush after they drop it off - proof that the materials they’ve been learning about don’t disappear but go on to become something new. We’re proud to bring that real-world recycling and resource-recovery expertise to the Hidden Treasure Hunt, and to help the next generation see that there’s genuine value in the technology we too often throw away.”

Find out more at www.hiddentreasurehunt.org or register a school through www.jointhepod.org.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Campaign launch: Tuesday 3 October 2026

Closing date for registrations: 12:00 midday BST on Tuesday 15 June 2027

Full terms and conditions: https://www.jointhepod.org/legal#HTH

Images: Approved images for use in connection with the promotion of the Hidden Treasure Hunt 2026–27 are available to download here