Congleton Residents to Bag their Batteries

5.22.43pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 13th Apr 2005

Simon Davey at West Heath recycling Centre

Batteries from toys, radios and other electrical equipment will soon have to bagged and not binned by Congleton residents in a bid to increase recycling levels. Britain's poor record on recycling is set to be given another push forward by new EU proposals for the recovery of old batteries.

Congleton Borough Council will be expected to make arrangements for the collection of batteries from households well before the end of the decade. Industry must then ensure that at least 65% of their content is recycled.

More than 160,000 tonnes of portable batteries are sold each year within the EU. Most contain toxic materials such as lead and mercury or carcinogens such as cadmium.

Eleanor Key, Liberal Democrat Candidate for Congleton, says the recycling plans make good sense both for industry and the environment by saving energy and raw materials.

"Batteries are full of toxic materials. There are few other household products that decay if left in appliances too long and weep acid that can burn severely.

"Yet although we collect most heavy vehicle batteries, there are currently no arrangements for recycling household batteries, which are thrown in the bin and sent to the dump with other household waste.

This government has a poor record of meeting environmental targets, now it is being forced at long last to catch up with best European recycling practice and put an end to the mentality of 'out of sight, out of mind' when it comes to waste materials."