Call to recycle electrical items, batteries

Residents are being urged to recycle their old batteries and battery powered electricals, rather than putting them in the bin.

Across the UK each year, the equivalent of 22,000 tonnes of batteries are disposed of, with only one third being recycled properly - the rest end up in the rubbish bin which can be dangerous. Officials say that when collected along with other rubbish or recycling, the batteries can be unintentionally squashed, compacted, punctured, shredded, or soaked in liquids, causing chemicals and other harmful contents to damage to the environment. Some types of battery can even ignite.

Powys County Council has pointed out that it is not just the everyday batteries that need to be recycled correctly. Many batteries can be found in portable electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, mobile phones, cameras, power-tools, remote-controlled toys, drones, electric scooters and even e-cigarettes.

“It is really important to make sure we don’t throw out our old batteries and battery powered electricals with the rubbish,” explained Cllr Heulwen Hulme, Cabinet Member for Waste and Recycling. “Not only because these items should be recycled, but for safety reasons too.

“Items such as batteries and other electronics can all be recycled safely at the Household Waste Recycling Centres (pictured). Many supermarkets, libraries and schools also have safe recycling points for small, household batteries.

“Batteries should always be removed from unwanted goods and recycled separately. By recycling batteries responsibly, and never throwing them out with the general rubbish, we can not only boost our recycling rate, but also make sure they end up in safe, specialist, battery recycling facility.”

For more information on what materials can be recycled in Powys, please see out online recycling guide: https://en.powys.gov.uk/article/7744/A-to-Z-of-waste-and-recyclable-items