Criticism emerges after UK battery recycling goals missed
Wednesday, August 29, 2018 - 11:33:27
Batteries are widely used in a huge number of products today, from mobile phones to cars and beyond. Yet less than half of the battery waste that is generated annually is collected for recycling, with 2017’s targets not being met.
LetsRecycle reports that last year precisely 44.89 per cent of used batteries were collected; just shy of the 45 per cent goal that the government had put in place. Even coming this close to the target but falling short is problematic, as it suggests that the market may not have enough momentum to keep making improvements going forwards.
In terms of the pure weight of old batteries that were rounded up in 2017, the total reached almost 17,500 tonnes. However, processing firm G&P argues that too large a slice of this amount were of the lead acid variety, which represent just four per cent of the market as a whole but made up over half of the batteries collected for recycling.
This means that huge volumes of recyclable batteries are slipping through the cracks and ultimately ending up at landfill sites, where they pose an environmental hazard while also being a risk in terms of combustion.
Part of the reason that selling old mobile phones to be recycled is so important is specifically because of the problems that can arise if battery-powered gadgets are not handled properly when they are no longer in use.
Most modern handsets use lithium ion batteries, which are themselves home to valuable minerals that can be recovered and reused in the production of new batteries.
Hopefully the attention being drawn to the UK’s battery recycling deficit will prompt further action from regulators and raise awareness amongst consumers so that steps can be taken to address this in the future.
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