UK considering EU-style rules on common phone charging cables - meaning everyone would have the same

The search for for several devices could soon be at an end, as the is considering changing the rules so one fits all.

In 2022, the made USB-C charging ports mandatory for a whole range of electronic devices, meaning most devices could be charged using the same charger. At the time, the UK Government said it was not going to consider similar changes but it is now asking for views on its potential benefits.

In 2020, it was reported EU consumers bought around 420 million electronic devices and owned, on average, three chargers for electronic devices. However, people still regularly could not find compatible chargers.

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Firms must adopt the new rules in the EU by December. Jozef Síkela, then Minister for Industry and Trade for the European Council, said in 2022: “We all have at least three mobile phone chargers at home. Looking for the right charger, either at home or at work, can be quite annoying.

“On top of this, these chargers amount to 11.000 tonnes of e-waste every year. Having a charger that fits multiple devices will and time and also helps us reduce electronic waste.”

It comes as new research from Recycle Your Electricals UK households contain 38,449 tonnes of copper hidden inside unwanted and thrown away electricals, according to .

Scott Butler, executive director of Recycle Your Electricals, said: “We all have our own stashes of unused or broken electricals, but it’s time we realised the value and power of the silent majority and the hidden treasures inside our homes.

“We need to start ‘urban mining’ and help protect the planet and nature from the harmful impacts of mining for raw materials and instead value and use what we have already. People may not realise that cables and electricals contain valuable materials, not just copper, and if binned or stashed, we lose everything inside of them when we don’t recycle them into something new.”