750kg of batteries were collected by Portsmouth City Council’s battery recycling service in just the first two months of the service running. The batteries are collected by the council’s partner Biffa with the general rubbish collection.
A wide range of batteries can be recycled as part of the service. The battery types that can be recycled are standard household batteries as well as laptop and hearing aid batteries. For a full list of batteries that can be recycled through this service, visit www.portsmouth.gov.uk/batteries. Batteries are then sorted to ensure the maximum amount of original material can be recovered to make new products.
Recycling batteries is a fantastic way to protect the environment and supplies essential materials for various industrial uses. Batteries are made up of toxic metals such as mercury and lead which can be extremely harmful to the environment and animal health. However, recycling means that the key metals can used for other industrial uses.
There are many ways to recycle batteries, all with the same aim of recovering the raw materials used to make the battery so that it can be used again for something new. Electrical, paint, and steel manufacturers can use the metals provided by batteries to make new products.
Cllr Kimberly Barrett, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Environment at Portsmouth City Council, said “The recycling of batteries is a fantastic way to preserve the environment and recover valuable raw materials for industrial use. To tackle the climate crisis, we must ensure we reduce, reuse, and recycle wherever possible to lessen our impact on the environment. The battery recycling service has provided residents with a straightforward way to recycle their batteries from home.
“Batteries are also a dangerous fire hazard so by handling them separately, we keep our bin crews safe.”
Batteries collected by Biffa are scheduled weekly with the general rubbish collections. To recycle batteries at home, they should be put in a transparent plastic bag and placed on top of the black rubbish bin. Residents of flat-fronted properties should place the clear bag of batteries on top of rubbish bags. Those that live in a block of flats with a communal collection should continue to take batteries to local shops and supermarkets or the Portsmouth Household Waste Recycling Centre.
Find out more about the collection service and the list of batteries you can recycle: www.portsmouth.gov.uk/batteries/
