Total number of items recycled: 78,973 Did you know anything with a battery, plug or cable can be recycled? Watch the episode: BBC Newsround or YouTube
Total number of items recycled: 78,973 Did you know anything with a battery, plug or cable can be recycled? Watch the episode: BBC Newsround or YouTube
£20,000 of Microsoft tech up for grabs!
USB The Hidden Treasure Hunt

Hidden Treasure Hunt returns this autumn!

Bigger. Better. More treasure to discover.

Join schools across the UK for our exciting new Hidden Treasure Hunt. Throughout the new academic year, schools will enjoy new resources, and even more opportunities to inspire children and families, helping pupils discover how repairing, reusing and responsibly recycling unwanted electricals can give technology a second life, conserve valuable resources and protect our planet.

Registration opens in September.
How it works
Register your recycling
Headphones Earpods Phone
Currys Currys
Mouse

Watch the Hidden Treasure Hunt in Action

See how schools are bringing the Hidden Treasure Hunt to life - inspiring children to rethink waste, value technology, and take positive action for the plane.

How the Hidden Treasure Hunt works

STEP ONE

Rummage

Time to pounce! Hunt out your old, unwanted or broken tech and small electricals. Anything with a battery, plug or cable – have a good clear out – you’ll be surprised what you find.

STEP TWO

Recycle

Bring your items to Currys – you’ll get at least a £5 discount voucher on purchases over £25†.

Got higher-value tech (phones, laptops, consoles)? Ask in-store about their trade-in offers – it could be worth more. Visit ‘recycle your electricals’ for all your local drop-off points.

STEP THREE

Register

Scan the QR code in-store at Currys and register your recycling visit to earn one Planet Care Point for your school. Each visit earns one Planet Care Point – no matter how many items you bring. You’ll automatically be entered into our termly tech prize draw!

Register your recycling

If you’re dropping off your items at a collection point other than Currys, your registration will still earn a point for your school. But to be entered into the termly tech prize draw, you’ll just need to snap a photo of your recycling at the drop-off point and upload it when you register.

†Please note: Currys ‘Cash for Trash’ vouchers and related minimum spend values (e.g. £25 or £50) vary by promotion but will always offer a minimum of £5 discount on qualifying items – see Currys terms and conditions for details. *Terms and conditions apply for Hidden Treasure Hunt prizes and Currys Trade in promotions.

How it works for schools

Trade in –
Turn old tech into treasure

Currys makes it easy to turn unwanted gadgets into gift cards. From phones and smart watches to laptops and tablets, you can trade in selected tech online or in-store*.

Find out more, check if your gadget qualifies, and get an instant estimate online on the Currys Trade-In page.

Currys will value your device and, once it’s received and verified, give you a Currys gift card to spend on the tech you really want.

If you’d like to check whether any items you bring into store for recycling qualify for trade-in value, please ask a member of the Currys team about Trade-in when you arrive.

*Terms and conditions apply.

Data wiping –
we have you covered

Don’t forget to back up and remove your personal data before parting with your tech – Visit ‘recycle your electricals’ to find out how. Any tech you drop off at Currys will be safely data wiped to UK Government standards.

Hidden Treasure Hunt School Prizes

Hidden Treasure Hunt Leaderboard Competition

Schools will be awarded based on their final leaderboard ranking at 12:00 midday on 6 July 2026.*

1st

PLACE SCHOOL WINS
£10,000
Currys' vouchers for Microsoft tech

2nd

PLACE SCHOOL WINS
£3,000
Currys' vouchers for Microsoft tech

3rd

PLACE SCHOOL WINS
£2,000
Currys' vouchers for Microsoft tech

Spring Term Prize Draw 2026

2

SCHOOLS WIN
£1,000
Currys' vouchers for Microsoft tech

10

FAMILIES WIN
£100
Currys' vouchers for Microsoft tech

Summer Term Prize Draw 2026

1

SCHOOLS WIN
£1,000
Currys' vouchers for Microsoft tech

10

FAMILIES WIN
£100
Currys' vouchers for Microsoft tech

Currys’ vouchers for Microsoft tech can be redeemed against a selected range of Microsoft products available from Currys. Eligible products include: Microsoft Surface Devices, Microsoft Surface Accessories, Microsoft 365 (for £100 vouchers only) See our FAQs for full details.

*Terms and Conditions apply

Thank you for taking part!

The 2025–26 Hidden Treasure Hunt has now closed.

A huge thank you to every school, pupil, family and community who took part in helping give unwanted electricals a second life through repair, reuse and responsible recycling. Congratulations to all of this year's winners and participants - we look forward to welcoming you back in the new academic year.

2025–26 National Winners

Congratulations to our UK winners!

First Place

Annan Academy, Annan, Scotland

Overall UK Winner

Achieving first place through an outstanding community effort, the academy inspired exceptional participation from pupils, families and the wider local community, demonstrating the remarkable impact that can be achieved when an entire community comes together behind a shared environmental goal. The school provides dedicated primary provision for a substantial number of pupils within the campaign's eligible age range, alongside its wider secondary community.

Second Place

Oak Cottage Primary School, Solihull, England

Second Place Winner

Securing second place through an outstanding whole-school effort, Oak Cottage inspired pupils, families and the wider community to repair, reuse and responsibly recycle unwanted electricals, demonstrating the remarkable impact that can be achieved when an entire school community works together behind a shared environmental goal.

Third Place

Kingsham Primary School, Chichester, England

Third Place Winner

Recognised for delivering an outstanding campaign that inspired pupils, families and the wider community to take action, Kingsham also helped bring the Hidden Treasure Hunt to a national audience through its appearance on CBBC Newsround, encouraging even more children and families across the UK to get involved.

Congratulations to all of our participating schools for helping children discover the value of broken and unwanted electricals, and how repairing, reusing and responsibly recycling them can conserve precious resources, reduce waste and protect our planet.

Together we achieved...

  • Over 78,000

    electrical items given the opportunity for repair, reuse or recycling.
  • Over 22,000

    people registered their recycling drop-offs.
  • Over 59,000

    recycling visits recorded.
The Hidden Treasure Hunt

Total number of tech
and electricals recycled

78,973
Hypnocat

How is electrical waste recycled?

Captain Busta meets Hypnocat to find out how electricals and tech are recycled in Currys for the Hidden Treasure Hunt!

Watch the film
Busta in Currys

Mythbusted!

Think recycling is difficult or just not worth the hassle?
Watch our videos and we’ll bust all those myths together!

The recyclable materials in devices are too little to bother with

Electricals just get landfilled or dumped abroad

It’s impossible to remove all data from devices

Finding where I can recycle electricals is hard

Tech plays a more important role in our lives today than ever.

It keeps us connected, fed, clean, healthy, educated, entertained, and productive.

However, replacing electricals and tech more often is making them the fastest
growing waste stream in the world and in the UK.

Recycle your electricals

How it works for schools

Help inspire the next generation to rethink waste, value technology, and take positive action for the planet.

The Hidden Treasure Hunt helps schools bring sustainability learning to life through a fun, real-world mission tackling one of the world’s fastest-growing waste streams - electricals and tech.

Here’s how it works:

  • Encourage pupils and families to recycle old or broken electricals at participating collection points
  • Families register their recycling online and nominate your school
  • Every recycling visit earns your school a Planet Care Point on the national Leaderboard
  • Schools can climb the rankings, unlock digital achievement certificates, and win Microsoft tech prizes for their school through leaderboard awards and termly prize draws.*

When you sign up, you’ll be able to access a free ready-made campaign pack including assemblies, classroom resources, posters, videos, parent communications, and activities linked to science, geography and citizenship.

Together, we can help children discover the hidden value in e-waste - and empower them to make more responsible choices for the future.

*Terms and conditions apply.

Sign up (free)

You’ll be asked to log in or create a free Pod account to register.

Watch the Hidden Treasure Hunt in Action
Hypnocat sitting on a dustbin

Why take part?

Every year in the UK, we throw away over 100,000 tonnes of electricals instead of reusing or recycling them… hiss-terical, right?

Let’s turn it into treasure!
Facts
Facts
Facts

What can we do with unwanted electricals and tech?

Fix them!

Many organisations can repair and refurbish your small electricals. Your grownups can ask the original manufacturer for a list of their authorised repair networks.

Find out more

Pass them on!

If nobody in your house wants it, pass it on. Charities can raise vital funds by selling your old electricals or giving them to people in need. Electricals will need to be prepared (personal data cleared, etc.) before they are passed on. You can find out more about safely removing data by visiting the link below.

Find out more

Recycle them!

Anything with a plug, battery or cable, it can be recycled and turned into anything from life-saving equipment to children’s playgrounds. Find out how Currys recycle your electricals here. Visit ‘recycle your electricals’ for all your other local drop-off points.

Find out more
The Hidden Treasure Hunt is a Wastebuster campaign for the UK wide Recycle your Electricals campaign, delivered on The Pod,
in partnership with Currys, with support from Microsoft, Ecogenesys and DHL.
Wastebusters

Copyright © 2026

Campaign invite

This form will send an invitation email for your school.
Simply enter your name and the most appropriate email address on your school’s website (for example, the school office or admin team).

Email Template Trigger Form