Recycling Batteries – Did You Know That You Can Now Recycle Batteries?

When you are sorting out your recycling to be collected from your doorstep, you sort the paper, cardboard, tins and glass, but have you ever thought about recycling your batteries? For most of us, when a battery comes to the end of its life we just throw it into the bin and help to add to the rubbish being piled into our decreasing landfills, not knowing that you can in fact recycle most types of batteries.

It is easy to think that one little battery will not make much difference to our environment, but if you imagine 30 million homes throwing away 3 batteries a year, then you have just added 90 million extra items into our landfills, which collectively makes a large amount of unnecessary rubbish.

The two most common types of batteries that are disposed of in the UK each year are general purpose ones, batteries that can be used in toys, remote controls etc and batteries from vehicles, otherwise known as automotive batteries. The percentage of batteries that are ever recycled can be as low as 2% and although the exact figure is not known for sure, many websites report that only 2 – 5% of batteries are recycled in the UK, which is something that has to change.

Some of the councils in the UK now offer kerbside collection of batteries, but if you go to any recycling centre you should find an area where you can recycle batteries, both general purpose ones and automotive ones. Rechargeable batteries can also be recycled, so there really is no excuse as to why the old and worn out battery should be thrown into your general rubbish bin as it can and should be recycled.

Because batteries contain a wide range of different elements and metals, you can reuse many aspects of a battery when it comes to recycling one. There are now dedicated battery recycling plants in the UK which just deal with the recycling of batteries, proving how much of a demand there now is for recycling everything we possibly can.

So, next time your clock runs out of life or your remote control needs a new battery, instead of throwing the old one into the bin, think about recycling it, as if everyone recycles their batteries we can all work together for a much better environment.

Author Bio:
Unique company offering office paper recycling bins and recycling desk tray and liners , fully eco friendly and green products, made in the UK and helping to save the planet.