Less than three per cent of household batteries are recycled in Australia, but the Southern Downs Regional Council is all charged up about doing its bit to improve those numbers with a new battery collection program.
Director of planning and environmental services Scott Riley said the council had partnered with experienced battery recycler, ecobatt, to provide the free service at the council’s supervised waste facilities.
“Expanding the region’s recycling capacity is a step forward for our sustainable waste management services,” he said.
While the disposal of lead acid batteries (car batteries) at the council’s supervised waste management facilities would stay the same, the new battery disposal points were clearly marked at all supervised waste facilities. The Warwick and Stanthorpe Waste Management Facilities now had dedicated wheelie bins while all other supervised waste facilities had white 10-litre buckets for the disposal of household batteries.
“We all use batteries at home and work to power everything from watches to cars. They’re a growing waste item but disposing of them through regular rubbish collections can pose a risk,” said Mr Riley.
“Batteries placed in general waste have a high incidence of causing fires in waste trucks and at waste facilities and this can result in serious environmental and safety hazards.
“Recycling is a more environmentally friendly option, diverting waste from landfill and reducing the harmful impact of chemicals on the environment.
He said batteries accepted for recycling included button cell batteries, AAA, AA, C, D, 9V, power tool batteries and other hand-held batteries that would fit in the collection units – in fact, most batteries that weighed under 5kg.
“Residents can easily keep on top of household battery recycling by having a dedicated empty ice cream container handy to collect and fill up until it is ready to be taken down to the waste facility.”
