Last months job took me on a magical journey out of landlocked London to a world of metal, cables and kettles.
As I drove there I felt like I was entering a forgotten edge of Britain, brushed under the carpet of East Kent. It’s a hidden world of depots, transportation and mass production. Familiar brand names stake unashamed claim to the masses of industrial land along the road. Deeper into this unknown land I find the sign I’m looking for - Sweeep, one of the UK’s main electrical collection and recycling depots.
Inside was an equally unknown land, to me at least. Abstract mountains of familiar household electricals piled in around me. Kids toys, white boxes, broken tv screens, keyboards. Each tiny piece of the abstract jigsaw held a million stories. I wanted to dive into each of them. And yet, like magic, each of them have been given a wonderful opportunity to create more stories in a new life.
At Sweeep, each electrical item is broken up, pulled apart and reformed into more abstract mountains of similar parts. I never knew how many parts made up my kettle. As individual materials, they can then continue their journey onwards, to places where other clever people turn them into their new identity - bicycles, defibrillators, keyboards or if your really lucky the next Olympic Gold medal.
Here’s a little illustration of the magic that happens at Sweeep.
Oh and here’s more info on how to recycle your electricals - no excuses! https://www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/
