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VAT should be cut on refurbished electricals, says Currys boss

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Sunday, September 1, 2024

The UK government should slash VAT on refurbished electrical products to keep gadgets out of landfill, according to the boss of Currys.“It has already been charged once on these products,” said Alex Baldock, the head of the UK’s largest electrical goods retailer. “I would like to see a radical reduction or entire cut on these products.”Baldock’s comments come as the market for secondhand electricals is growing rapidly, with new entrants such as Back Market and mainstream retailers such as Currys joining the likes of eBay and Amazon in making pre-loved gadgets more accessible.Last week, Vinted, the secondhand fashion marketplace, launched a dedicated electronics category on its site as it caters to growing demand for trading in items such as gaming consoles, speakers, headphones, fitness trackers and smartwatches.The cost of living crisis, and more awareness of the environmental impact of buying new items, are both driving the market.In 2022 the UK produced the second highest amount of e-waste per person in the world, and only 17% of unwanted gadgets are currently recycled globally.Almost half a billion small, cheap everyday electrical items from headphones to handheld fans ended up in landfill in the UK last year, according to Material Focus, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to stop electricals being hoarded and thrown away.New technology contributes more than 1bn tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year, just under 3% of the global total, making it the seventh biggest contributor, about half the size of the fashion industry, according to Our World in Data.Mending a smartphone just once can save more than 77kg of carbon emissions, research by the French ecological transition agency Ademe has found.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionCurrys is aiming to drive up repair and resale with techniques to cut costs such as using video calls to problem-solve often basic problems with gadgets that can potentially be fixed by pressing reset or reloading software, for example.Baldock says about 70% of returned laptops have no fault – the problem is often software-based – while on TVs, 30%-40% of items returned are found to be in full working order.A team of experts based in the Currys repair centre have been fixing web-enabled devices such as TVs in this way for some time. Now the company is experimenting with using live video to help solve problems with fridges or ovens.Repairing and selling refurbished items would help Currys reduce the 8.1m defunct gadgets sent off for recycling to external partner Environcom, just as the government is potentially gearing up to make sellers pay the full cost of that process under the “extended producer responsibility” (EPR) scheme.Baldock says that “I hope and believe the new government will take a different stance” on EPR. He argues that recycling is expensive and if that cost cannot be passed on to customers, then retailers will do less of it.

Alex Baldock wants to keep gadgets out of landfill as UK’s largest electricals retailer embraces repair and reuseThe UK government should slash VAT on refurbished electrical products to keep gadgets out of landfill, according to the boss of Currys.“It has already been charged once on these products,” said Alex Baldock, the head of the UK’s largest electrical goods retailer. “I would like to see a radical reduction or entire cut on these products.” Continue reading...

The UK government should slash VAT on refurbished electrical products to keep gadgets out of landfill, according to the boss of Currys.

“It has already been charged once on these products,” said Alex Baldock, the head of the UK’s largest electrical goods retailer. “I would like to see a radical reduction or entire cut on these products.”

Baldock’s comments come as the market for secondhand electricals is growing rapidly, with new entrants such as Back Market and mainstream retailers such as Currys joining the likes of eBay and Amazon in making pre-loved gadgets more accessible.

Last week, Vinted, the secondhand fashion marketplace, launched a dedicated electronics category on its site as it caters to growing demand for trading in items such as gaming consoles, speakers, headphones, fitness trackers and smartwatches.

The cost of living crisis, and more awareness of the environmental impact of buying new items, are both driving the market.

In 2022 the UK produced the second highest amount of e-waste per person in the world, and only 17% of unwanted gadgets are currently recycled globally.

Almost half a billion small, cheap everyday electrical items from headphones to handheld fans ended up in landfill in the UK last year, according to Material Focus, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to stop electricals being hoarded and thrown away.

New technology contributes more than 1bn tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year, just under 3% of the global total, making it the seventh biggest contributor, about half the size of the fashion industry, according to Our World in Data.

Mending a smartphone just once can save more than 77kg of carbon emissions, research by the French ecological transition agency Ademe has found.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

Currys is aiming to drive up repair and resale with techniques to cut costs such as using video calls to problem-solve often basic problems with gadgets that can potentially be fixed by pressing reset or reloading software, for example.

Baldock says about 70% of returned laptops have no fault – the problem is often software-based – while on TVs, 30%-40% of items returned are found to be in full working order.

A team of experts based in the Currys repair centre have been fixing web-enabled devices such as TVs in this way for some time. Now the company is experimenting with using live video to help solve problems with fridges or ovens.

Repairing and selling refurbished items would help Currys reduce the 8.1m defunct gadgets sent off for recycling to external partner Environcom, just as the government is potentially gearing up to make sellers pay the full cost of that process under the “extended producer responsibility” (EPR) scheme.

Baldock says that “I hope and believe the new government will take a different stance” on EPR. He argues that recycling is expensive and if that cost cannot be passed on to customers, then retailers will do less of it.

Read the full story here.

Photos courtesy of

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West Virginia Program That Helped Communities Tackle Abandoned Buildings Is Running Out of Money

A West Virginia program that helped communities demolish abandoned buildings is running out of money, and state lawmakers haven't proposed any new solutions

From their home on Charleston’s, West Virginia's West Side, Tina and Matt Glaspey watched the house on the corner of First Avenue and Fitzgerald Street go downhill fast. A family with a young daughter left because they didn’t feel safe. The next owner died. After that, the police were responding regularly as people broke into the vacant home. The Glaspeys say that in just two years, the small brick house went from occupied to condemned, left without power or water, repeatedly entered by squatters. “One day, we noticed a bright orange sticker on the door saying the building was not safe for habitation,” Tina said. “It shows how quickly things can turn, in just two years, when nothing is done to deal with these properties.” City officials say the house is following the same path as hundreds of other vacant properties across Charleston, which slowly deteriorate until they become unsafe and are added to the city’s priority demolition list, typically including about 30 buildings at a time. Until this year, a state program helped communities tear these buildings down, preventing them from becoming safety hazards for neighborhoods and harming property values. But that money is now depleted. There is no statewide demolition program left, no replacement funding, and no legislation to keep it running, leaving municipalities on their own to absorb the costs or leave vacant buildings standing. Across West Virginia, vacant properties increase while a state program designed to help runs out of money The state’s Demolition Landfill Assistance Program was established in 2021 and was funded a year later with federal COVID-19 recovery funds. Administered through the Department of Environmental Protection, the fund reimbursed local governments for the demolition of abandoned buildings that they couldn’t afford on their own. The state survey was the first step in the program to determine the scope of the need and assess local government capacity to address it. It was distributed to all 55 counties and more than 180 municipalities. However, the need is far greater. Carrie Staton, director of the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center, has worked with communities on abandoned buildings for about 14 years. She said most counties don’t have the resources, funding or staffing to manage dilapidated housing on their own. “We’re just so rural and so universally rural. Other states have at least a couple of major metro areas that can support this work,” she said. “We don’t. It just takes longer to do everything.” Charleston has spent millions demolishing hundreds of vacant buildings As the state’s largest city, Charleston has more tools than most local governments, including access to federal funds that smaller communities don’t have. That has allowed the city to spend more than $12 million over the past seven years demolishing over 700 unsafe and dilapidated structures.But John Butterworth, a planner for the city, said Charleston still relied on state demolition funding to help cover those costs, which averaged about $10,000 per property, including any environmental cleanup. “It’s a real cost,” he said. “It’s a necessary one to keep neighbors safe, but it is very expensive.”He said the city received $500,000 from the state program during its last round of funding to help tear down properties that drew repeated complaints from neighbors. “I think people are really relieved when we can say that the house that’s been boarded up for a year or more is coming down,” he said. “Where the concern often comes from neighbors is, what comes next?”One vacant home on Grant Street had fallen into disrepair before being demolished in May of last year. Cracks filled the walls. Dirt and moldy debris were caked on the floors. Broken glass and boarded-up windows littered the property as plants overtook the roof and yard. Eventually, the city was able to get the owner to donate the property, which was then given to Habitat for Humanity as part of its home-building program. Now, the property is being rebuilt from scratch. Construction crews have already built the foundation, porch and frame, and it is expected to be finished within the year after its groundbreaking last October. Andrew Blackwood, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha and Putnam counties, said the property stood for at least five years, deteriorating. The home had signs of vandalism and water damage and was completely unsalvageable. He said that of the 190 homes the organization has built in both counties, nearly 90% of them have been complete rebuilds after the previous structure was demolished. A statewide problem without a statewide plan Lawmakers have said they recognize the scale of the problem, but none have proposed other ways for tearing down dangerous structures. Fayette County used state demolition money as it was intended, which was to tear down unsafe buildings that had become public safety hazards to nearby residents. With help from the state program, the county tore down 75 dilapidated structures, officials said, removing some of the most dangerous properties while continuing to track the progress of others through a countywide system. County leaders hoped to expand their demolition efforts on their own this year, but those plans have been put on hold. The county had to take over operations of a local humane society after it faced closure and will need to fundraise, said John Breneman, president of the Fayette County Commission. Former Sen. Chandler Swope, R-Mercer, said that kind of budget pressure is exactly why he pushed for state involvement in demolition funding. Swope, who helped create the state fund for the demolition of dilapidated buildings in 2021, said the idea grew from what he saw in places where population loss left empty homes, which local governments had no way to tear down.“They didn’t have any money to tear down the dilapidated properties, so I decided that that should be a state obligation because the state has more flexibility and more access to funding,” he said.Swope said he’d always viewed the need as ongoing, even as state budgets shift from year to year.“I visualized it as a permanent need. I didn’t think you would ever get to the point where it was done,” he said. “I felt like the success of the program would carry its own priority.” But four years later, that funding is gone, and lawmakers haven’t found a replacement. Other states, meanwhile, have created long-term funding for demolition and redevelopment.Ohio, for example, operates a statewide program that provides counties with annual demolition funding. Funds are appropriated from the state budget by lawmakers. Staton said West Virginia’s lack of a plan leaves communities stuck.“Abandoned buildings are in every community, and every legislator has constituents who are dealing with this,” she said. “They know it’s just a matter of finding the funding.”And back on the West Side, the Glaspeys are left staring at boarded windows and an overgrown yard across the street. Matt said, “Sometimes you think, what’s the point of fixing up your own place if everything around you is collapsing?” This story was originally published by Mountain State Spotlight and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See – December 2025

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EPA Funding Salvaged in US Congress Spending Bill

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Funding bill excludes controversial pesticide provision hated by MAHA

A government funding bill released Monday excludes a controversial pesticides provision, marking a win for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement for at least the time being. The provision in question is a wonky one: It would seek to prevent pesticides from carrying warnings on their label of health effects beyond those recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Known as Section 453 for its position in a House bill released earlier this year, it has drawn significant ire from MAHA-aligned activists. Opponents of the provision argue that it can be a liability shield for major chemical corporations, preventing them from facing failure-to-warn lawsuits by not disclosing health effects of their products. MAHA figures celebrated the provision’s exclusion from the legislation. “MAHA WE DID IT! Section 453 granting pesticide companies immunity from harm has been removed from the upcoming House spending bill!” MAHA Action, a political action committee affiliated with the movement, wrote on X. The issue is one that has divided Republicans, a party that has traditionally allied itself with big business. “The language ensures that we do not have a patchwork of state labeling requirements. It ensures that one state is not establishing the label for the rest of the states,” Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) said earlier this year. However, the growing MAHA movement has been critical of the chemical industry. The legislation is part of a bicameral deal reached to fund the departments of the Interior, Justice, Commerce, and Energy, as well as the EPA. And while the provision’s exclusion represents a win for the MAHA movement for the moment, the issue is far from settled. Alexandra Muñoz, a toxicologist and activist who is working with the MAHA movement said she’s “happy to see” that the provision was not included in the funding bill. However, she said, “we still have fronts that we’re fighting on because it’s still potentially going to be added in the Farm Bill.” She also noted that similar fights are ongoing at the Supreme Court and state level. The Supreme Court is currently weighing whether to take up a case about whether federal law preempts state pesticide labeling requirements and failure-to-warn lawsuits. The Trump administration said the court should side with the chemical industry. Meanwhile, a similar measure also appeared in a 2024 version of the Farm Bill. —Emily Brooks contributed. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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GoGreenNation news

VAT should be cut on refurbished electricals, says Currys boss

Related News

West Virginia Program That Helped Communities Tackle Abandoned Buildings Is Running Out of Money

Webinar: Cell Tower Risks 101 - What You Need To Know To Protect Your Community

EPA Funding Salvaged in US Congress Spending Bill

Funding bill excludes controversial pesticide provision hated by MAHA

Hey Jon Stewart, Jokes About Wearing Masks Aren’t Funny

Suggested Viewing

928 The Threat Continues...

1948 and Counting

Lake Victoria: An Ecosystem in Turmoil

Jetty Cats

Descended: The Fight for Harris Neck

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sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Cookies help us run our site more efficiently.

VAT should be cut on refurbished electricals, says Currys boss

Related News

West Virginia Program That Helped Communities Tackle Abandoned Buildings Is Running Out of Money

Webinar: Cell Tower Risks 101 - What You Need To Know To Protect Your Community

EPA Funding Salvaged in US Congress Spending Bill

Funding bill excludes controversial pesticide provision hated by MAHA

Hey Jon Stewart, Jokes About Wearing Masks Aren’t Funny

Suggested Viewing

928 The Threat Continues...

1948 and Counting

Lake Victoria: An Ecosystem in Turmoil

Jetty Cats

Descended: The Fight for Harris Neck

Join us to forgea sustainable future

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Join us to forge
a sustainable future