In an effort to combat battery waste within the region, Bundaberg Regional Council is offering businesses and schools a free battery recycling box to be delivered to their door.
Waste and Recycling portfolio spokesperson Cr Tanya McLoughlin said the common misconceptions that batteries could not be recycled or were safe to put in the bin was leading to increased battery waste being found in bins throughout the region.
“Recent bin audits have shown that each week, every third waste bin in the region contains at least one household battery,” Cr McLoughlin said.
“By encouraging schools and businesses to have a battery recycling box situated at their premise, we are hoping to help spread the news that recycling batteries is allowed!
“Once boxes are filled they can be swapped for another empty box, with each box coming with a fire resistant liner to safely hold up to 15kg of batteries.”
Access Recreation is one local organisation which has taken up the opportunity to do its part in reducing the amount of battery waste going to landfill.
Service Manager Cirsty Murphy said client Jamie Ross had always had a passion for recycling and had led the charge for the organisation’s battery recycling efforts.
“Jamie has always had an interest in recycling, and he loves to help sort out the rubbish and recycling at the Access Recreation hub and separate the bottles to take to the recycling centre,” Cirsty said.
“When we heard about the battery program from Council, they provided Jamie with a box, and he encouraged all of us at the hub to make sure we are recycling our batteries.
“The more we all work together to recycle, the better it is for our environment with battery recycling offering a safe and environmentally friendly solution for end of life batteries.”
Cr McLoughlin said the battery recycling boxes were a great opportunity for employees or students to raise general awareness and develop an enthusiasm for recycling, just like Jamie had.
“I applaud Jamie’s efforts in recycling and his keen interest in helping the environment through this great initiative!” she said.
Battery recycling: stay in the know
Over the past six months, there has been over 700kg of battery waste recycled across the region’s waste facilities, service centres, and libraries:
- August to October: 328kg
- November to January: 276kg
- February to date: 134kg
To reduce risk of fires during collection and transport, Council is asking customers to either “bag it or tape it” before disposing of batteries into the collection boxes.
- Bag It: Place the batteries in a small zip lock bag.
- Tape It: Place tape over the battery terminals.
Any oversized or damaged batteries can still be recycled but should not be placed in the battery boxes.
Oversized or damaged batteries can be directly taken to the Bundaberg Waste Management Facility at 46 University Drive, Bundaberg.
Businesses and schools interested in recycling batteries at their workplace can contact Council’s Waste & Recycling on 1300 883 699 or visit the website for further details.
Bundaberg residents can also recycle household batteries at Woolworths, Aldi, Bunnings, TradeTools, Total Tools and Officeworks as part of the battery stewardship scheme.
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Could you also please put a box for the smaller batteries at the Childers and Buxton and other smaller Waste Management services and Woolworths in Childers too.