Wiltshire joins battery recycling scheme (From This Is Wiltshire)

Wiltshire joins battery recycling scheme

11:29am Saturday 4th July 2009

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Wiltshire Council is making a difference to the environment by joining a new battery recycling scheme.

People can now take all their spent household batteries to any one of the ten household recycling centres in Wiltshire where they will find new collection containers, which people are asked to use as directed on site.

The sites will accept all types of household batteries, including rechargeable battery packs used in DIY tools and digital cameras, laptop batteries, small "button" or watch-type batteries, as well as the typical AA and AAA type batteries. Car batteries, which have been collected at the sites for several years, will continue to be recycled in separate containers.

The council and its contractor Hills Waste Solutions Ltd have joined with the company Valpak who have helped provide the new containers and who will be responsible for taking the batteries collected to be recycled.

Every year the average household disposes of 21 batteries of different types - many of which would previously have ended up in landfill. This means in Wiltshire up to four million batteries could now be diverted away from landfill.

Batteries contain a range of heavy metals that can be used for other purposes once the batteries have been recycled.

New regulations that came into force in May 2009 places responsibility on battery manufacturers to recycle their products once they reach the end of their life. The cost of this scheme will be paid by Valpak which in turn is partnering with battery producers to help them comply with the new regulations.

This battery recycling scheme adds to the wide range of materials which can now be taken to Wiltshire's household recycling centres for recycling.

Coun Toby Sturgis, cabinet member for waste and the environment, said: "The launch of this service will help ensure the millions of batteries that are currently sent to landfill are now dealt with in a more environmentally sustainable manner.

"I would urge everyone to take their batteries to one of the ten household waste recycling centres we provide in Wiltshire to prevent them ending up on the tip."

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