From electric vehicles to cappuccino frothers, batteries power our lives. But they're only small, right? How bad can it be, throwing them into your general wastebin?
There are 2 major reasons why recycling batteries is seriously important:
1) Batteries cause fires and explosions (sic!) at household waste sites when thrown away with general waste. According to The Guardian, lithium-ion batteries are believed to have been responsible for at least 250 fires at recycling and waste facilities across the UK in 2019 (1).
2) Batteries contain important, rare elements which are mined at a huge environmental cost, and which can be re-used - such as cobalt or lithium. Lithium and cobalt (both used in battery technology) are among the main reasons for deep-sea mining, which totally devastates ocean habitats - many of which as yet unexplored (2). Yet our present lithium stocks would significantly reduce the need for further mining, if they were consistently recycled. Nearly all rechargeable batteries for appliances such as phones, laptops, power tools, cameras, even electric vehicles, are lithium-ion batteries; but at present, only 9% of phone batteries, for example, are recycled worldwide.
Both single-use and rechargeable batteries can be dropped off for recycling at most UK supermarkets (eg Sainsbury's, Wilko's), DIY stores, and pharmacies, as well as in specific battery-recycling areas at household waste sites. The Environmental Services Association ESA has created the aptly-named Take Charge campaign to promote battery recycling in the UK. The Take Charge website (https://www.takecharge.org.uk/) includes a handy guide to finding your nearest battery recycling points, as well as more information on the issue.