How we give electricals a second life and reduce waste
With operations spanning retail, warehousing and logistics, insurance, recycling and circularity, our vertical integration means we can ensure a high quality customer journey and retail responsibly, whilst simultaneously capturing the maximum amount of the value we create. It’s good business, good for customers and good for the environment.
Driving business value through circularity
Our approach to electrical recycling is built on a fully integrated, circular model that maximises value at every stage of a product’s lifecycle. Our specialist engineers assess and refurbish electricals ensuring that any item with remaining life is restored to the highest standards.
When an item really is beyond repair, we ensure it is responsibly recycled. As the only UK electricals retailer with wholly-owned in-house recycling facilities, we take responsibility for breaking down end of life appliances at our Telford plant. Here, we recover high-quality raw materials that ultimately go back into making brand new products.
AO Recycling
Location: Halesfield, Telford, Shropshire
AO Recycling is one of the UK’s biggest recyclers of fridges and other Large Domestic Appliances (LDAs). Opened in 2017, we make would-be waste great again, by turning these old fridges, washing machines, cookers, tumble dryers and dishwashers into valuable resources.
Ultimately, reuse is the best form of recycling, so to extend the product lifecycle, all inbound products are graded for cosmetic and functional defects. Where possible products, are repaired to be resold through the AO Outlet store. We have a team of highly skilled engineers who repair the appliances, and over 200,000 items have been rehomed since we opened this facility.
At this site we also recycle all the cardboard and polystyrene packaging from customer deliveries which amounted to around 3,000 tonnes of it last year.
Our state-of-the-art recycling machine, Bertha, is one of the most advanced in the UK, capable of processing over one million end of life appliances annually, breaking them down and sorting the materials into constituent metals, plastics and insulation foam.
This includes a capability to process more than 700,000 fridges, roughly one-fifth of all fridges disposed of in the UK each year, meaning the environmentally harmful gases and oils are removed and treated responsibly.
Our plant holds top environmental certifications, including WEEELABEX and ISO standards, and has processed over five million appliances since opening.
AO plastics plant
Location: Stafford Park, Telford, Shropshire
In 2019, we invested £7m to open our plastics plant, located close to the main recycling facility in Telford. We use this site to process the plastic output material from our Halesfield plant and turn it into usable plastic.
At this plant, we handle around 200 tonnes of fridge plastic per week, using advanced systems, including a high-tech colour sorter, to separate and purify materials.
This facility allows us to turn waste plastic into high-quality material for reuse, potentially producing enough recycled plastic to theoretically make 2.5 million new fridges annually. Supporting our broader vision of a circular economy, where old appliances are transformed into resources for new ones, reducing waste and environmental impact.
We’re even working with leading brands to create new fridges from our recycled fridge plastic – a “fridge from a fridge.”
We recently invested a further £2m into this site, adding an extruder to the end of the process, which turns the plastic ‘flake’ into pellets, which are widely accepted as an input material, to make new products from.
Last year alone, the plastic we recycled was used to make 1.5 million new ventilation fans, as well as all sorts of accessories and fittings. And through new partnerships, even our lower-grade plastics are being put to good use, turned into benches, tables, and planters for local communities to enjoy.
AO Crewe: reverse logistics hub
Location: Crewe, Cheshire
Our Latchford site plays a vital role in our returns process and reverse supply chain, acting as a central hub for handling our customer returns and refurbished goods.
When a product, such as a TV or coffee machine, is returned – either due to damage, fault, or customer change of mind, it is often routed to here where the item is inspected, tested, and triaged. Items in good condition may be refurbished on-site by trained engineers, graded, and repackaged for resale with warranty through channels like AO Outlet, Elek Direct or partner marketplaces.
All products that have been refurbished are graded and come with a guarantee so customers can be safe in the knowledge that they have been skilfully repaired, cleaned and thoroughly tested by our skilled experts. Our refurbished appliances are of the highest standard – and we’d challenge you to spot the difference with a new appliance!
In this loop, our Latchford site is not just a storage facility but a critical site for quality control, value recovery, and customer satisfaction, ensuring that we minimise waste, while maximising operational efficiency and product lifecycle.
musicMagpie: reusing small tech & media
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester
With MusicMagpie now part of the AO family, we can offer even more recycling and refurbishment services – including for mobile phones, tablets, laptops and even games consoles.
The Hazel Grove facility, located near Stockport, has become our main hub for processing and refurbishing used consumer electronics, media, and games. Spanning 110,000 sq ft, we handle millions of items at this site each year.
Here, devices are tested, data-wiped, refurbished, and graded before being resold through MusicMagpie.com and marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. We successfully refurbish around 95% of items here, while non-repairable ones are recycled for parts.
As we integrate MusicMagpie into AO.com, we’ll be able to offer enhanced trade-in capabilities both in terms of price and convenience for customers, including a market-leading mobile affordability proposition for our members.
