An electrochemical approach was made to recover the nickel from plating wastes in the form of activated nickel by incorporating additives such as thiourea, sodium metabisulfite and sodium thiosulfate in the electrolyte. The anodic behaviour of the nickel produced was studied for its suitability in a Watts nickel and chloride free sulfate baths. It was found that the activated nickel produced with sodium metabisulfite and thiourea additives performs similarly to commercially available activated nickel anodes.