Cardiff Council is encouraging everyone to recycle their used batteries. In addition to the household waste recycling centres, special battery bins have been placed in all libraries and leisure centres in Cardiff to make it easier for people to dispose of their used batteries safely.
In the UK, only about three to five per cent of all household batteries are recycled. Most old batteries end up in landfill, where they decay and produce heavy metals. In 2009 in the UK 600 million batteries went into landfill. Recycling batteries avoids this and can also help in recovering some of the raw materials used for making batteries, which can then be used to make other products.
As many household items run on batteries which can be recycled, including; mobile phones, laptops, hearing aids, watches, portable cameras, cordless power tools, torches, and electric toothbrushes; Cardiff council is keen to increase battery recycling rates in the city.
Battery recycling facilities are already available at the council’s waste sites, and by placing additional bins in libraries and leisure centres the council hopes people will find it easier to recycle their old batteries rather than just throwing them away.
Executive Member for Environment, Cllr Margaret Jones, said: “Recycling batteries is important for a number of reasons. It’s safer, kinder to the environment and a good way to reuse raw materials contained in batteries. The new battery recycling bins should make it easier for people to dispose of their old batteries safely and responsibly.”
