09 February 2012You can now easily recycle all of your household batteries by taking them back to any store that you would buy new ones from. Since 1 February 2010 any shop, (that is, a supermarket, newsagent, hardware store), that sells more than 32 kilograms a year of portable batteries is required to take back used batteries from the public free of charge. 32 kilograms is equal to about 350 four-packs of AA batteries.
Why recycle household batteries?
Until now, only about three per cent of all household batteries used in the UK were recycled. Most old batteries ended up in landfill, where they would leak harmful chemicals into the soil. Most household batteries contain chemicals like lead, mercury or cadmium. If batteries are thrown into your normal rubbish bin, they are likely to end up in landfill or burned to generate electricity. Disposed of in those ways, the batteries will break down and leak some of these chemicals into the ground or cause poisonous gases when burned. Such practices cause soil, water, and air pollution, which are health risks for humans, livestock and so on.
Recycling avoids this and can also help recover some of the raw materials used for making batteries. These can be used to make other products. So recycling can save some of the planet’s resources, by reducing the need to mine new materials.
Where to recycle batteries
Most shops that sell batteries will have collection bins for used batteries. Most supermarkets and many high street shops will have collection points.
Types of household battery you can recycle
Many of the items you regularly use at home will be run on batteries. Batteries from all of the following items, and many others, can be recycled:
What happens to the used batteries?
Recycled batteries are first sorted into different types, for example lithium, alkaline, lead cell, mercury button, as each type is recycled differently. Lead acid batteries (used for car batteries) and mercury button cell batteries (the flat, round, silver batteries found in watches) are fully recycled in the UK.
Lithium and alkaline batteries (AA, AAA and 9v batteries) are part-recycled in the UK, and then sent to plants abroad for the rest of the process. Other types of battery are sent abroad, as the UK does not currently have plants that can recycle these.
How to recycle car batteries
Car batteries are treated as hazardous waste. They must not be thrown away with your household waste or brought back to shops. They can be recycled at garages, scrap metal facilities and many local waste and recycling centres. Sevenoaks District residents can take their car batteries to their local Kent County Council Household Waste Recycling Centre.
