Join the War on Battery Waste

Batteries are an essential part of our lives. They are an amazingly useful and convenient way to store and release energy to power our appliances at home, work and school. But what happens when they can no longer be used or recharged, because tossing them in the bin is not an option.

Incorrectly disposing of batteries into bins regardless of their type or size, has resulted in a 20% increase in battery related fires and explosion incidents in NSW this year according to Fire and Rescue NSW. Many of these fires have been in council waste trucks and at local sorting facilities, endangering staff and damaging equipment.

Batteries also contain valuable heavy metals like lithium and mercury, so binning them is also a waste of these resources and results in a nasty environmental pollutant if leached from landfills into our environment.

When disposed of correctly, around 95% of alkaline and lithium battery components can be recycled in Australia.

There are many local battery recycling options available in the Clarence Valley but first it’s crucial to tape the battery terminals with clear sticky tape to prevent any residual discharge. They can then be stored safely in a glass container until you’re ready to dispose of them but for no longer than six months.

Batteries can then be taken to the Grafton or Maclean Community Recycling Centre newaste.org.au/crc to one of council’s handy Community Recycling Stations newaste.org.au/crs or to any B-cycle drop off point, available at participating retailer stores bcycle.com.au/drop-off/.

Products with batteries embedded in them, like phones, laptops and power tools, should be disposed of at an e-waste recycling facility or e-waste drop-off event.

For further battery safety information visit: bcycle.com.au/how-you-can-b-cycle/battery-safety/

This project is a NSW Environment Protection Authority Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy initiative, funded from the waste levy.