The European Union (EU) has brought new regulations into affect resulting in many battery selling stores having to provide recycling options. With Britain currently only recycling 3per cent of batteries, shops selling 32kg, approximately one pack of 4 AA’s per day, will have to provide a recycling bin in a bid to increase recycling productivity to 45per cent by 2016.
The new regulations put mounting pressure on the need to recycle, with 97per cent of the 30,000 tonnes of batteries that enter the UK every year, ending up in landfill sites. Leaking toxic chemicals into the soil, the battery producer Varta said they welcomed the scheme but warned that the lack of awareness could hamper success. Vince Armitage, the company’s divisional vice president said “The directive places the responsibility of meeting its stringent collection and recycling targets on the manufacturer, but it relies on the co-operation of consumers and retailers to make it work. However, a lack of promotion means that awareness of the directive among these key groups is low.”
Hilary Been, Environment Secretary explained that due to the Battery Compliance Scheme recycling bins would be emptied free of charge and it was hoped that levels of battery recycling would grow to 10per cent in 2010 alone. “This new legislation will make it easier for consumers to do the right thing whilst ensuring retailers fulfil their part of the bargain,” she said. Meanwhile the British Retail Consortium’s Bob Gordon expressed that commercial recycling shouldn’t be too heavily relied upon, saying “All the evidence shows home collections of recyclables are easiest for customers and produce the best results. Developing these mustn’t be ignored.”
