People in Haverhill will soon be able to do even more to help safeguard the environment – thanks to a unique battery recycling trial to be launched next week.
The innovative kerbside collection will see distinctive magenta bags, bearing the message ‘Do the positive thing. Recycle your batteries’, delivered to every home in the Haverhill area. Residents are invited to fill these bags with their used, part-used and unwanted batteries. There will be two collection schemes in operation, with some residents asked to leave the bag on top of their blue bin and others or to hang it on a hook attached to their blue bin’s handle.
St Edmundsbury Borough Council is carrying out the trial in partnership with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) which aims to encourage residents to recycle more batteries more often. The scheme allows residents to recycle all types of household batteries, including AAA, AA, C, and D-size batteries as well as button, mobile phone, laptop and rechargeable batteries.
Cllr Peter Stevens, St Edmundsbury’s Cabinet member with responsibility for the environment, said:
“This innovative trial once again underlines St Edmundsbury’s commitment to safeguarding the environment and cements our status as a lead authority for recycling. Our residents have always been keen and careful recyclers and we hope this simple and convenient trial will encourage them to put their unwanted batteries to a good use while significantly reducing the amount which go to landfill.
“We hope the trial will be a great success and are delighted to be taking part.”
St Edmundsbury’s scheme has been funded by WRAP and forms part of the country’s biggest battery recycling trial. Results from the different trials which are being carried out across the country will help determine how best to collect batteries in the future. This comes following the introduction of the EU Batteries Directive, which requires 25 percent of all household batteries to be collected for recycling by 2012.
For more information on the trial, you can:
- contact waste management at St Edmundsbury on 01284 757320;
- phone the national helpline on 08453 313131; or
- visit www.recyclenow.com
The scheme will be rolled out in Bury St Edmunds next month.
ENDS
Note to editors: The launch will take place during a roadshow, which will run in the Market Square from 10am until 2pm. St Edmundsbury’s Waste Management staff will be on hand to talk residents through the scheme and offer advice and help on recycling in general.
WRAP works in partnership to encourage and enable businesses and consumers to be more efficient in their use of materials and recycle more things more often. This helps to minimise landfill, reduce carbon emissions and improve our environment.
Established as a not-for-profit company in 2000, WRAP is backed by Government funding from Defra and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Working in seven key areas (construction, retail, manufacturing, organics, business growth, behavioural change, and local authority support), WRAP’s work focuses on market development and support to drive forward recycling and materials resource efficiency within these sectors, as well as wider communications and awareness activities including the multi-media national Recycle Now campaign for England.
More information on all of WRAP’s programmes can be found at www.wrap.org.uk
ISSUED BY LIZ HEARNSHAW, COMMUNICATIONS UNIT, ST EDMUNDSBURY BOROUGH COUNCIL. Tel 01284 757033. liz.hearnshaw@stedsbc.gov.uk
