Batteries

Most people use batteries of one kind or another - disposable batteries for things like clocks, radios and torches; car batteries; small lithium batteries for watches and cameras. Most batteries contain heavy metals, which may cause harm to the environment. Because of the number of different types, recycling batteries is not as easy as recycling materials such as glass or paper.

Currently only a few local authorities collect household batteries for recycling, because the limited number of reprocessing plants in the UK means the collection of household batteries is not viable. Work is being done to try and increase the number of battery recycling facilities. For more information on battery recycling please see WRAP’s battery recycling programme.

How to recycle batteries

Car batteries are one of the few types that can be recycled easily. In most boroughs you can take them to a local Reuse and Recycling Centre. In some parts of London they can be collected as part of the kerbside collection.

Some Reuse and Recycling Centres may also take other types of batteries - check with your local authority to see what battery recycling service they offer. If you can't recycle batteries in your area, try to reduce and reuse instead:

• Use mains electricity where possible

• Try to buy appliances that use renewable energy, e.g. a wind-up radio or torch, dynamo bicycle lights or a solar-powered calculator.

• If you need to use batteries use rechargeable ones or get batteries that are cadmium and mercury free. You can even buy a solar powered re-charger.

If you cannot do any of the above and you have batteries that can’t be reused or recycled, please dispose of them as you use them, with the normal household rubbish. Do not store batteries together as this concentrates the hazardous substances.

Did you know?

• 20,000 - 30,000 tonnes of batteries are sent to landfill every year in the UK

• The average household uses 21 batteries a year

• The energy needed to make batteries is 50 times greater than the energy they give out

(Facts from Waste Online - batteries information)