Do the Positive Thing – Recycle Your Old Batteries

From the 1st February 2010 any retailers selling over 32kg of batteries a year, will provide free in-store recycling points for waste batteries, including batteries not bought at that outlet. A list of South Bucks outlets providing recycling points are listed below. The type of batteries included in the take back scheme include all standard size batteries, button cells, mobile phone batteries and laptop batteries.

Retailers providing in-store recycling points

Sainsburys, Beaconsfield
Waitrose, Beaconsfield

Marks and Spencers Beaconsfield
Boots, Beaconsfield

Sainsburys Local, Farnham Common
Tesco Express, Farnham Common

Sainsburys, Taplow

Co-op, Iver

Boots, Gerrards Cross

There may be other retailers providing recycling points for batteries. Ask in store for more information.

Market research has revealed that around 600 million UK household batteries (22,000 tonnes – the equivalent weight of 110 jumbo jets) are sent to landfill unnecessarily every year.

Batteries are the single largest source of mercury in household rubbish and other potentially toxic materials such as cadmium, lead, lithium, nickel, and nearly 5,500 tonnes of reusable zinc. When in landfill they start to rot and these chemicals begin to leak into the ground potentially causing soil and water pollution.

From the 1st February a new national scheme will be launched which will allow people across the UK to easily recycle their old batteries.

Starting next week any retailers selling over 32kg batteries a year (the equivalent of a four pack of AA batteries a day), have to, by law, provide free in-store recycling points for waste batteries, which includes batteries not bought at that outlet.

The new laws have been introduced to significantly increase the recycling of used portable batteries in the UK. At the moment about 3% of batteries are recycled in the UK, but ambitious targets aim to increase this to 45% by 2016. The type of batteries included in the take back scheme include all standard size batteries, button cells, mobile phone batteries and laptop batteries.

South Bucks District Council already provides recycling facilities for batteries at the Household Waste Recycling Centres in Beaconsfield, Burnham and Langley. Residents can take portable batteries and old car batteries to be recycled at these sites, as well as a wide range of other items including garden waste, household electrical items such as old fridges and freezers and used cooking oil. For further details on what can be recycled look on www.southbucks.gov.uk.

South Bucks District Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment Councillor Bill Lidgate, says, “South Bucks residents already play an active role in recycling and I hope residents will take advantage of this free take back scheme. By making battery recycling simple and easy we want to encourage people to recycle all their unwanted household batteries rather than throwing them away; it is vital that we seize this opportunity to divert them away from landfill. This is yet more proof of South Bucks commitment to safeguarding the environment, and hope this will deliver real benefits to the community.”

What can you do?

• Use the mains wherever possible.
• Use rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. The energy needed to make batteries is 50 times greater than the energy they give out. 
• Take used batteries to a participating retailer or a recycling centre.

For further information about recycling and for a full list of what materials can be recycled at our Household Waste Recycling Centres please visit the Council’ household waste page or call 01895 837362 or email refuseandrecycling@southbucks.gov.uk

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