Selfsufficientish.com

hi there

not sure if anyone knows the answer, but i will give it a try.

I like most of you have loads of used and worn out batteries aa and aaa that are from game boys, remote controls etc.

i hate putting them into the normal waste, so have tried looking for somewhere to take them or send them to dispose of them safely. but i have had no luck

can any of you help me i'm in the north cumbria area

maggie

Hi Maggie

I don't know if they still do it, but B&Q and other DIY stores used to have tubs for spent batteries. Maybe your local council could tell you if the local civic amenity site (or whatever they are called now) takes them. As a last resort.

Given that the Environment Agency didn't recycle their own batteries, I don't think that they would be able to help.

Good luck.

Apparently it will be obligatory throughout Europe to recycle batteries by around 2010, so I suppose local councils will have to get their acts together by then.

Mean time, Goodle turned up this thread. From last November:

"The only place to recycle small household batteries in Cumbria at the moment is at the Flusco Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC), near Newbiggin, Penrith. However, the County Council is planning to put household battery recycling banks in all 13 HWRCs in the near future."

IKEA used to have a box for them too.

A previous housmate of mine was from Holland and once asked me where she had to take her old ones. She was really shocked when I said we just put them in the bin. Apparently in Holland you can be fined if the council find batteries in your household rubbish, it is obligatory to recycle them.

my mum brought home a load of freepost bags for spent batteries - they are from sainsburys

Clearly not of any help, but my OH works in the Scottish Parliament and they have recycling facilities there for batteries. I had the Cooks tour on Friday and noted that all the recycling was done by Biffa, although they don't do batteries according to their website.

I think our Council take them at recycling centres, but ours go to the Parliament.

PC world had a battery disposal point last time I went in there.

my council must be quite progressive as we have special little bags to put them in and then they collect them for recycling

As does our local council here...they give us little bags to put out when they collect the recycling.

Can you take them along to your local recycling centre?

Sainsbury's do little placcy envelopes for you to send in old batteries - they were giving them away at the BGG

Oooooo, Thanks for the reminder, I emailed my Local Authority recycling officer some time about the lack of facilities for recycling batteries. I've had no response. Time I started to hassle them methinks.