The five-week borough-wide competition encouraged Hillingdon pupils to search their homes for unused or broken cables and bring them into school for recycling.
Newnham Junior School in Eastcote has been crowned the winner of Hillingdon Council’s Cable Challenge, after recycling more than 88 kilograms of unwanted electrical cables—beating 35 other schools to the top spot.
The five-week borough-wide competition encouraged pupils to search their homes for unused or broken cables and bring them into school for recycling. With parental or carer permission, the children dropped the items into distinctive pink bins placed at each participating school. The challenge aimed to raise awareness about reducing contamination in recycling and the environmental importance of reusing valuable materials.
Newnham Junior pupils collected a total of 88.1kg of cables, narrowly beating Frithwood Primary School in Northwood, which came in second with 86.7kg, and Field End Junior School in Ruislip, who finished third with 76.7kg.
Altogether, the schools collected a combined 802.7kg—or just over 0.8 tonnes—of old electrical wires, keeping significant waste out of landfill and giving precious materials a new lease of life.
As a reward for their eco-friendly efforts, Newnham Junior School will receive £100 to put towards hiring STEM-focused classroom kits from Team Repair, giving pupils hands-on learning experiences in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Newnham Junior pupils collected a total of 88.1kg of cables, narrowly beating Frithwood Primary School in Northwood, which came in second with 86.7kg, and Field End Junior School in Ruislip, who finished third with 76.7kg
Neil Wilkey, Headteacher at Newnham Junior School, praised the challenge for its positive impact. “The Cable Challenge provided a great opportunity to introduce a new ‘habit’ and for the local community to work together towards a common aim—helping the planet,” he said. “Excitement raced through the school when the children first saw the pink bin—many (children and adults) having never seen one. The challenge certainly sent the message that collectively we can all make a difference—from little acorns we can grow mighty trees.”
Cllr Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Community and Environment, commended the enthusiasm shown across the borough. “The Cable Challenge is part of our ongoing efforts to reduce contamination in recycling and promote the reuse of valuable materials,” he said. “Congratulations to Newnham Junior School for their tremendous efforts and many thanks to all 36 schools who took part.”
The initiative was supported by Material Focus, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to increasing recycling of small electrical items in the UK. They estimate that millions of unused cables are currently lying around in homes across the country, many of which contain recyclable materials like copper.
To help residents recycle responsibly, Hillingdon Council has installed pink recycling bins for small electrical items at all borough libraries. Items such as old chargers, phones, and hairdryers can be dropped off at these locations. Alternatively, residents can visit Civic Amenity Sites in Harefield or West Drayton.
To learn more about which small electrical items can be recycled, visit: www.hillingdon.gov.uk/small-electricals-recycling.
