BATTERIES

Facts

• 19,000 tonnes of general purpose batteries disposed of in UK per year
• Batteries include valuable but dangerous materials including cadmium, lead, nickel cadmium and mercury
• The energy required in manufacturing a battery can be 50 times more than the power it gives out

REDUCE

• Use solar or wind up appliances
• Use mains electricity
• Do something that doesn't need batteries

• Use rechargeable batteries and consider buying chargers as a present
• Conventional batteries should be used in smoke detectors

RECYCLE

• Contact your local recycling officer for details of where you can recycle batteries

LINKS

• G&P Batteries provide bins and a collection service for recycling batteries in the UK for which there is a charge
• REBAT list battery recyclers and detail relevant legislation