Tune in to Battery Recycling
Recycling your household batteries is about to get even easier
Following on from the success of the Tune into Battery Recycling scheme for schools, the Waste Management Group and the Cultural Services Libraries Management Team are launching a trial to collect household batteries in 12 of the district libraries throughout Lancashire for 3 months. The following libraries will be taking part;
Accrington Library
Burnley Library
Nelson Library
Rawtenstall Library;
Leyland Library
Chorley Library
Harris Library, Preston
Skelmersdale Library
Clitheroe Library
Fleetwood Library
Lancaster Library
St Anne's Library
Current legislation states that by 2012 at least 25% by weight of all household batteries put on the market for the first time in the UK need to be collected for recycling and this target increases to 45% by 2016. This is a very challenging target as the current collection rate in the UK is estimated to be between 3- 4%.
Lancashire County Council has an agreement with Valpak Ltd, who under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, has set up a compliance scheme for batteries. This means they work on behalf of battery producers who, under the above legislation, have to recycle a percentage of the batteries that they produce. Instead of actually recycling batteries themselves the producers make a financial contribution into a compliance scheme. The compliance scheme then works in partnership with other organisations like Lancashire County Council to provide battery recycling services to help meet the producer’s legal obligations. Under this agreement Valpak Ltd are supporting Lancashire County Council's 'Tune into Battery Recycling' scheme.