At Exclusively Eve we take environmental issues seriously, and believe we should all do our bit to recycle as much as possible.  Below are some key pointers about the use of batteries and how and why you should recycle them.

In 2001 we bought 680 million batteries in the UK, most of these (89%) were general purpose batteries.  The average household uses 21 batteries a year.  Of the 20k – 30k tonnes of waste general purpose batteries every year, less than 1k tonnes are recycled.

Battery Types
There are a number of different types of household batteries used by householders for a variety of purposes.  The three main types are:
Wet-cell: Lead acid batteries used to power vehicles and by industry.
Dry-cell non-rechargeable: These are the most common types of household battery.
Dry-cell rechargeable: general purpose rechargeable batteries for the above uses, and also including Nickel cadmium, Nickel metal hydride and Lithium-Ion batteries used in power tools, cordless appliances, mobile phones etc.

Using rechargeable batteries reduces the number of batteries requiring disposal, but 80% of them contain nickel cadmium, a known human carcinogen, and therefore need to be disposed of safely.

Why Bother?

Currently, only a very small percentage of consumer disposable batteries are recycled (less than 2%) and most waste batteries are disposed of in landfill sites. Whilst the exact chemical make-up varies from type to type, most batteries contain heavy metals, which are the main cause for environmental concern. When disposed of incorrectly, these heavy metals may leak into the ground when the battery casing corrodes.  This can contribute to soil and water pollution and endanger wildlife. Cadmium, for example, can be toxic to aquatic invertebrates and can bio-accumulate in fish, which damages ecosystems and makes them unfit for human consumption. Some batteries, such as button cell batteries, also contain mercury, which has similarly hazardous properties.
 
An increasing number of householders recognise the residual value of spent batteries and separate them from their general household waste for recycling.  A number of local authorities now collect waste household batteries as part of multi-material kerbside collections.  If your local authority does not provide such as service, you may find your local Waste Management Centre has a specific area for spent batteries. Rechargeable batteries can also be recycled once they have reached the end of their useful lives.

What can you do?

• Use the mains when possible.
• Use rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. This saves energy because the energy needed to manufacture a battery is on average 50 times greater than the energy it gives out.
• Opt for appliances that can use power derived from the sun via solar panels or from a winding mechanism, e.g. radios, mobile phone wind-up chargers.
• Participate in local authority battery collection schemes where they are available. If you Council does not provide one at the moment, contact them and find out if they are planning to do so in future.
• Seek guidance on how to dispose or recycle batteries from either the distributor who originally supplied the battery, the battery manufacturer or the appliance manufacturer.