Batteries contain lots of harmful checmicals suchs as lead, mercury, cadmium, zinc, manganese and lithium. It can therefore be damaging to the environment to bury them in landfills and burning batteries can pollute the atmosphere.
At the moment only 3% of batteries are recycled in the UK (Belgium recycles over 50% – One more thing we’re not very good at then!). This means that around 600 million batteries – the equivalent weight of 110 Jumbo Jets – are sent to landfill sites every year.
The average household uses 21 batteries a year, all of which could be recycled.
The UK aims to recycle 25 per cent of its batteries by 2012, rising to at least 45 per cent in 2016. The UK government has therefore set up a scheme in place to increase battery recycling and reduce the number of batteries going to landfill. This means that you can get free battery recycling bins to put around the office and then the bins will be collected on a regular basis for free.
They collect alkaline batteries, rechargeable batteries, laptop batteries, mobile phone batteries, watch batteries… pretty much every type of household battery
To order your own battery boxes contact: Rabbit Recycling
T: 0845 337 3343 www.rabbittrecycling.co.uk
