They’re small, handy, and have become almost an essential element in modern daily life, but when batteries are worn out, we throw them in the bin.
Currently, regardless of whether we put them into the recycling or general garbage bin, around 90% of Australia’s used batteries end up in landfill, where they leak toxic materials into the environment.
That can change now, with the launch this week of a recycling scheme for easy, safe disposal of old batteries, keeping them (and their contents) out of our soils and waterways.
As a national, Government-backed Scheme, B-cycle draws together consumers, retailers or importers, to give new life to dead batteries.
According to B-cycle CEO Libby Chaplin, about 50% of people actually currently put their batteries in the general waste or recycling bin.
“And this causes some serious problems because, even though they’re dead to us, batteries still maintain some charge”, she says, adding that they can spark with other bits of metal and cause fires.
“Yet, reusing the precious materials in every battery can mean that we mine less from the earth, and thus conserve nature and its resources.”
Battery recyclers are particularly interested in the waste stream from lithium batteries, with lithium in growing demand due to the rise of electric cars and solar energy storage.
How can you recycle your batteries?
Regular alkaline and lithium batteries used with household items like remotes, toys and power tools, can be placed in collection bins provided by major retailers such as Officeworks, Coles, Woolworths, ALDI and Bunnings.
Before disposing of the batteries, consumers are asked to cover the terminals in clear sticky tape, to reduce risk of catching fire.
