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Battery Recycling Needs to Improve

A survey released this week by the European Recycling Platform (ERP) has indicated that close to half of the UK population has never recycled a battery. This is despite legislation which has been set under the European Union’s Batteries Directive.

Government targets

The EU legislation insists that 25 per cent of all batteries sold must be recycled by 2012. This figure is expected to rise to 45 per cent by 2016.

The ERP survey shows that the UK is having trouble meeting these targets. Of those people questioned, 45 per cent said that they had no idea where they could take batteries for recycling and 29 per cent were not even aware that batteries could be recycled.

Eight per cent of respondents stated that they couldn’t be bothered to recycle batteries and two per cent claimed that they simply did not have the time.

Make an effort

The general manager of ERP, Scott Butler, commented on the findings. He pointed out that everyone in the UK needs to make an effort to reach the EU targets and that householders need to find out where their local recycling box for batteries is.

Be Positive

Batteries are harmful to the environment because they can leech chemicals into soil as the casing starts to break down. In response to this threat, the government has started the Be Positive campaign to encourage recycling.

A number of retailers are taking part in the campaign and are providing recycling points.

The Directgov website gives good information on how to recycle batteries. According to the site, most supermarkets and retailers which sell batteries also have collection boxes available. In addition, many local councils provide special bins at recycling centres.