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Why Can’t You Throw Batteries in the Bin?
Why Can’t You Throw Batteries in the Bin?
When throwing rubbish away at your home, there are some things that shouldn’t go into your household bin. Most people are aware of those items you should never throw away in your general waste, although they are not always sure why.
Batteries are a prime example of this, as they are one item which should never be thrown in your household bin, but why is this? Here, we explain the correct way to dispose of your old batteries and why this is.
Why can’t batteries go in the bin?
Batteries can be either primary (a one-time use battery) or secondary (rechargeable, reusable batteries). The majority of batteries contain the following harmful heavy metals:
- lead
- mercury
- copper
- zinc
- cadmium
- manganese
- lithium
- potassium
All of these elements are extremely hazardous to both the environment and human health, and are able to permeate into the ground soil and thus water supplies when they are placed into landfill. For this reason, placing them in your household bin to dispose of them is not a safe option, as their harmful chemical content will ultimately make its way back into our water supplies.
How can I dispose of batteries?
Instead of throwing your batteries in the bin, there are a few other methods of disposal which are safe and do not threaten environmental and ecological systems.
Battery banks
Local authorities often provide battery banks at local institutions such as supermarkets and leisure centres which are frequented by local residents, giving you an easy opportunity to drop off and safely recycle any used batteries. Simply take any batteries which you need to dispose of and place them into the battery bank. They will then be safely removed and taken away to be recycled by local authorities.
Request a battery bag for recycling
Some people do not have time to drop their batteries at their local authorities, or may simply prefer to have their unwanted batteries collected from their home. In these instances a bag can be provided by local authorities in which you can place any batteries that are to be recycled. If you aren’t provided with a bag, many authorities allow you to use a resealable sandwich bag.
Once the bag is full, just eave in on top of your recycling bin and your local authority will collect them and leave a new bag for you under the bin’s lid. Loose batteries should never be placed in with your dry mixed recyclables, as they must be separated out and can contaminate the other waste.
Use rechargeable batteries
A different kind of alternative to simply throwing away your used batteries is opting for rechargeable batteries. By doing this, you will not have to think about the correct disposal of your batteries, and you will also save money on continual purchase of new ones for your home.
Here at Brown Recycling, we deal with more than just batteries, offering a dedicated hazardous waste disposal service to our customers throughout Stoke-on-Trent, Crewe and the surrounding areas. With over 80 years’ experience in the industry, our expert team are fully trained and can advise you on any queries you may have, so simply get in touch with us today. While we can’t just collect a few household batteries, the above suggestions should help you to deal with that drawer full of flat batteries safely.
Got any burning questions?
You can ask us a question online using our contact form. Simply provide your name, email (purely for confirmation purposes) and the details of your enquiry, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Why choose Browns Recycling?
- Paper, Plastic & more recycled
- Dedicated recycling centre
- Aim for zero waste to landfill
What our clients say about us
“We are hugely grateful to Brown Recycling for their help on DIY SOS: The Big Build in Stoke. Dave and the team went above and beyond to clear the site and then bring in other suppliers who also supported this great cause. Thanks to the generosity of countless suppliers and volunteers, Stoke now has a community centre that will support its residents for many years to come.”
Read more testimonials
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Excellent service on a recent Hazardous waste removal from one of our sites. Paddy and Stacey wasted no time in arranging for our waste to be removed in surprisingly quick turnaround. 10/10...
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Hired a skip to clear a huge pile of garden waste. Arrived on time, picked up bang on time, dead easy to book and pay. Courteous, helpful drivers. Job done! just as it should be, without drama. Highly...
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Very professional service and the customer service team are very helpful and knowledgeable. We have been working with browns and using their services for a number of years and cannot fault it. Very co...
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Terry was very efficient. We will use brown for skips again...
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Had problems with getting the skip into our drive but Browns persisted and 3 trucks later the 3rd driver got the job done. Incredible service from a very professional and competent company. Special me...
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Really efficient service, competitive price and they dropped off skip exactly where we asked them to. Easy to book a skip over the weekend using their online booking system. Very helpful when we nee...
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I ordered a skip at short notice and it arrived as requested. Having finished with it early Terry came and collected it very promptly which freed up the driveway. A Good service and reasonably priced....
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Brilliant service - I booked for the wrong date, but Browns were really helpful and changed the booking at the last minute....
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We chose Brown Recycling because out of the firms we rang the lady on the end of the phone knew exactly what we needed and was very helpful. ( Yes you can place a skip in a council paying car park) A...
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A big thanks to Phil, always helpful and polite when collecting cardboard, nothing too much trouble ....
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Christie has been most helpful and informative whilst booking a new service for plastic and general waste recycling. Would recommend :)...
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Christie was very helpful, she managed the whole process very efficiently and met our expectations. We now have the service and commercial offering we need for our business waste. We would recommend...
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Quick and really reliable service.... was a pleasure dealing with Christie!!!...
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Requested amendment to current waste collection. Very helpful and was able to answer all queries and adapt to our requirements. Definitely recommend...
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We had a visit today from Mark and Andy dropping off our new waste bin. I would just like to acknowledge their outstanding customer service. They disposed of the built up waste that we had gathered si...
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Full marks to Andy and Mark. Went above and beyond today and would highly recommend them to anybody looking to recycle large quantities of waste. Professional, efficient and very approachable...
11 months ago -
First time using Browns, they were clear, efficient and got the job done. Will continue to use their services....
1 year ago -
New to sorting a bin service for our new business. Christie and Brown Recyling has been great with helping us select the right type of bin required as well as not overspending for the sake of it. He...
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Super easy to set up a long term skip hire, Christie made things nice and clear and the prices were good too! everything was ready to go really quick, highly recommend Browns...
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