Did you know that crushed batteries hidden in electrical items cause hundreds of fires every year in recycling centres, as well as bin and recycling lorries?
Scary stuff! Especially when batteries are hidden in lots of common household electrical. Things like kids toys, alarm clocks, vapes and electric toothbrushes all have batteries inside them. These batteries are sometimes called zombie batteries – could cause a fire if they’re crushed.
This hoard of Zombie Batteries cause chaos in waste management and recycling facilities, causing explosions and fires which can endanger lives.
Every year people across the UK throw away the equivalent of 22,000 tonnes of batteries and only a third of these are recycled properly. The rest end up in the rubbish bin or mixed with other recycling where they can become zombie batteries.
Batteries power everything from laptops and mobile phones to toothbrushes and cordless vacuum cleaners. On the whole batteries are brilliant, that is until the time comes to dispose of them.
It all becomes a problem when the majority of batteries are not put in the correct bins. It’s a serious environmental issue and a threat to the crews who collect bins, as well as those who work at waste handling facilities or sort recyclable waste by hand.
The only way to prevent these fires caused by batteries and keep crews safe is to recycle them separately, in places that accept electrical appliances and batteries. These should never put electricals items in the bin or in general recycling collections.
There are many places around Ealing to drop off your electricals items and batteries to make sure they’re recycled safely. Many retail shops also have collection points for batteries. Traid offers Ealing residents a doorstep Charity collection to pass on your small electrical items with your clothes donations. See www.traid.org.uk/wlwa for more details and book a collection.
Any rechargeable item has a battery hidden within. It should always be recycled separately from your other household waste and recycling. Visit Recycle your electricals for more information.
Small electrical items
Take your items to your local recycling centre or book a free collection through TRAID. They take both clothes and small electrical appliances.
Visit TRAID free home collections for more information.
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