Your old sprues may soon find new purpose as playground equipment, thanks to a new recycling scheme that is being trialed with our recycling partner TerraCycle® at selected UK Warhammer stores from later this month.
The Warhammer Recycling Programme, a first-of-its-kind scheme for Warhammer, will see ‘sprue bins’ popping up in various UK locations by the end of March, and means that local hobbyists can recycle old sprues, paint pots, and even unwanted plastic miniatures.
Here are the details:
Why?
The ‘why’ is obvious – looking after Terra* is everyone’s responsibility, us included, and this is a small thing that we can do to help the effort.
How does it work?
The scheme is simple – bring in your used sprues and empty paint pots, deposit them in the sprue bin at one of the participating stores, and we’ll take care of the rest.
What can I recycle?
Any old sprue of plastic Warhammer models, with or without components still on it. You can also hand over old plastic Warhammer models, as well as empty Citadel Colour paint pots. The paint pots should be empty of liquid, but don’t worry about cleaning them. The old acrylic paint residue can all be recycled too.
What can’t I recycle?
We aren’t able to recycle metal or resin miniatures. Also, this isn’t a general plastic recycling bin – we can only accept items whose chemical composition we are sure of, so no non-Games Workshop plastic miniatures or other plastic items please
What happens to the sprues, paint pots, and old miniatures?
These will all be recycled into new materials and products. The plastic used in Citadel miniatures is of a very high quality and purity, so there are loads of uses for the recycled material elsewhere in the plastic chain, including garden planters, playground equipment, or even table tennis tables!
Because Citadel miniatures require such high-quality materials, we’re not yet able to turn old sprues collected from stores back into new models – though we are investigating that for the future.
When will it come to my store?
The initial trial will be kicking off in a small number of UK stores from the end of March. And, all going well, we plan to roll the scheme out to more stores and regions soon.
List of participating Warhammer stores
The Warhammer Recycling Programme will begin in these locations at the end of March – so hold on to your old sprues, paint pots, and unwanted plastic miniatures! If you show up before the scheme opens, you’ll just have to take them home with you…
This recycling programme is part of taking our environmental responsibility seriously. In recent years, we’ve made a series of other eco-led improvements to our sites and facilities, such as increased use of renewable energy, electric vehicle charging points, and more eco-friendly packaging. That’s all essential stuff that goes on in the background – this is different, as it only really works if hobbyists (that’s you!) jump on board too.
Many Warhammer fans have already reached out to ask about the best way to recycle their old sprues, so we’re delighted to be able to give you a way to do it.
Look out for Sprue Bins in the above stores from the end of March. Stay tuned for more Warhammer news by subscribing to our newsletter.
*For the next 38,000 years, at least.