Batteries
Typical items we accept:
Appliance batteries (A type)
Clock/radio batteries
Button cells
Car batteries
Background info:
According to WRAP the UK sends over 6 million batteries to landfill each year. Many batteries contain dangerous chemicals and begin to rot away in landfill sites releasing these chemicals to leak into the ground which can cause soil and water pollution.
McGrath Battery Recycling Solution:
McGrath provides a range of containers to collect batteries on-site. Clearly labelled and pink colour coded these containers are in various sizes from a ‘3 litre Battery Bob’ to a 7 litre conventional container and clear tubular receptacles.
How they are recycled:
Batteries are delivered to our MRF where they are segregated by type:
- Zinc-carbon and zinc-chloride - e.g. for clocks and radios.
- Alkaline – used in MP3 players, torches or toys.
- Button cell - contain mercury, silver, lithium or other heavy metals used in hearing aids, pacemakers and photographic equipment.
- Zinc-air – also used in hearing aids and radio pagers
- Silver oxide button cells - used in electronic watches and calculators.
- Lithium button cells – found in watches and photographic equipment
The recycling process involves a number of different procedures depending upon the type and material used in the battery. It may involve draining the liquid core and dismantling the casing before being placed in a furnace at high temperature, leaving only the nickel, cadmium and other useful metals.
The high-temperature process vaporises paper, plastic and gels while the reusable metals like nickel, lead, iron, cobalt and cadmium are reclaimed to be re-used as raw materials manufacture of new batteries or stainless steel. Button cell batteries containing mercury are usually recycled using a vacuum-thermal treatment, in which the mercury vaporises.
KEY FACTS:
Relevant regulations: Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009
Percentage we recycle: 100%
Percentage recycled in UK: 10% (Valpak)
UK Recycling Target: 25% (by 2012)
Average CO2(e) saving per tonne recycled: –0.75 tonnes (Defra)
