(See copy of letter from DEFRA on state of UK legislation for recycling batteries)                                                                     

HOUSEHOLD/DOMESTIC BATTERIES

(information provided by East Sussex County Council)

Although household battery recycling schemes are fairly limited, more schemes are starting to be introduced (see below) and new EU laws will force manufacturers to recycle in the future.  Until recently there were no reprocessing plants in the UK so any batteries which were collected for recycling were either stockpiled or exported abroad (mainly to mainland Europe)!

Where can I recycle household batteries?

•           Crowborough, Mountfield, Newhaven, Brighton, & Hove household waste recycling sites (also known as the council ‘amenity tips’) accept household type batteries from your own home for recycling.

•           If you live in Brighton/Hove, batteries can be placed in your doorstep recycling box emptied by the Council. 

•           Contact the manufacturers direct as some provide take-back recycling schemes for their own brand batteries:-

         Duracell batteries can be posted to:- Gillette Consumer Services, Freepost OF1503, Alesbury Road, Thame, Oxfordshire OX9 3LG

         Ever Ready batteries can be posted to:- EverReady Recycling, Freepost LOL 2311, Dunstable, Beds LU5 4YY

         Panasonic batteries can be posted to:- Panasonic UK Ltd, Panasonic House, Willoughby Road, Bracknell, Berks RG12 8FT

         VARTA batteries can be posted to:- VARTA, Freepost 154, Staines, Middlesex

•           Contact the retailer where the item was purchased to see if they participate in a take-back scheme for old batteries, eg. for mobile phones & power tools.  Return watch & calculator batteries to jewellers. Return camera batteries to photographic shops.

•           Return hearing aid batteries to your local hospital or GP surgery

RECHARGING BATTERIES OF ALL KINDS

Thanks to Elizabeth from www.wichelseabeach.org.uk for the following links.

Battery Wizard  Saitek Eco Charger.

Purchasing:

•           Use alternative power sources to operate gadgets.  For example, mains electricity, solar power (eg battery chargers, garden lights, radios & torches) or winding mechanisms (eg torches & radios). This will help reduce the number of batteries thrown away. Try the Centre for Alternative Technology (cat.org.uk Tel. 01654 705950), Greenshop (greenshop.co.uk Tel. 01452 770629), Freeplay (freeplay.net Tel. 01452 621888) and Natural Collection (naturalcollection.com Tel. 0870 331 3333).

•           Use rechargeable batteries - as you will be throwing them out less often. The most common rechargeable batteries are nickel metal hydride (NiMH) & nickel cadmium (NiCd). NiMH’s are better than NiCd’s however, as they have a longer life and don’t contain the hazardous metal cadmium.  Please try and recycle them when they no longer recharge (see over).

•           Enquire at the time of purchase whether the retailer/manufacturer provides a take-back recycling scheme when the battery reaches the end of its life

Can I dispose of household-type batteries with my rubbish?

Disposal of batteries with your household rubbish is legal but considered an undesirable practice.  Many batteries are labelled with a crossed wheelie bin symbol to indicate that they should not be disposed of with general waste. However, batteries from households are exempt from the regulations, but the labelling helps alert consumers to consider safe disposal.

For further information on household-type battery recycling contact:

•           Waste Watch wastewatch.org.uk

•           National Household Hazardous Waste Forum nhhwf.org.uk

•           REBAT rebat.com - encourages NiCd battery recycling managed by the British Battery Manufacturers Association bbma.co.uk

October 2005