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Print articleWest Dorset District Council introduced the new kerbside battery recycling service across the area during February and March this year. Support for the new service has been excellent.
Robert Gould, Leader of West Dorset District Council, said:
?I would like to say a big thank you to residents for recycling their batteries.
?We have managed to stop thousands of batteries going to landfill. This saves resources and also stops pollution, as batteries thrown into landfill leak chemicals into the earth.?
The average household uses 21 batteries a year. This means that in West Dorset we currently use 945,000 batteries a year.
Councillor Gould added:
?I would also like to urge residents to try and reduce the number of batteries they use. It takes far more energy to make a battery than it will ever be able to provide.
?People can reduce the number of batteries they use by switching to rechargeables ? you can even buy a solar powered recharger.?
Other ways of saving batteries include plugging electrical equipment into the mains and buying appliances that use rechargeable energy like wind-up radios or torches.
Around 600 million UK household batteries are sent to landfill unnecessarily every year. These binned batteries weigh 22,000 tonnes - the equivalent of 110 jumbo jets.
In West Dorset, a total of 45,000 reusable battery recycling bags have been given out to residents. Anyone who has not yet received a battery bag should contact the district council on 01305 251010. Battery bags are also available from district council offices and tourist information centres.
All types and sizes of portable household batteries can be put out for recycling in West Dorset. This includes spent rechargeable batteries, as well as zinc carbon and chloride, alkaline, cadmium and lithium ion batteries. Lead acid car batteries are not included and should still be taken to one of the county council's household waste recycling centres.
A total of 89 per cent of batteries sold are for general household use and can be found in most rooms. Typically they are used in remote controls, smoke alarms, cameras, torches, mobile phones, alarm clocks and toys.
