Household Batteries
If you have a small amount of batteries to recycle you can request a battery recycling envelope via email at recycle@ncl.ac.uk. Once full, follow the instructions on the envelope and put it in the internal mail.
If you are likely to collect more batteries than can fit in an envelope, please put them into one of the battery recycling caddies located across the campus. If you are unsure of where your nearest recycling caddy is please contact your local Environmental Coordinator details of which can be found on these pages.
Once the caddy is full, submit the following form to have it emptied by the WEEE collection service:
http://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=1275
The free WEEE collections occur every Wednesday and are run by SecondbyteIt. To find out more about this service see the WEEE webpages.
If you don't have a battery caddy locally please email recycle@ncl.ac.uk to have one delivered.
Why we Recycle Batteries
Most batteries contain heavy metals. If disposed to landfill, these heavy metals may leak into the ground. This causes soil and water pollution and endangers wildlife. Cadmium, for example, can be toxic to aquatic invertebrates and can bio-accumulate in fish, which damages ecosystems and makes them unfit for human consumption.
Our batteries are collected by SITA and treated as hazardous waste. They are a good material for recycling because they contain a range of metals which can be reused as a secondary raw material. There are well-established methods for the recycling of most batteries containing lead, nickel-cadmium, nickel hydride and mercury.
Alternatives to Household Batteries
- Use rechargeable batteries. They save money, last longer and are just as effective in many cases.
- Find out if equipment which requires batteries is available powered by a renewable source such as solar or wind up.
- Try to buy equipment which runs off main supply.