G&P to process batteries from West Sussex scheme

Each site is expected to take in about 200-300kg of “household” batteries per year with householders placing these in 40kg capacity collection containers.

Batteries from all the sites will then be tipped into three larger containers at a Viridor site. They will then be collected three times a year by battery reprocessor G&P; Batteries Ltd and will be taken to the company's new facility at West Bromwich.

A spokesman for West Sussex said: “We are not envisaging people making a special trip to the recycling centres to drop off a couple of AA batteries, but we are expecting people will bring them when they come with other waste, like white goods and green waste.”

The cost of the collections to Viridor for 12 months will be 1,500. The company said the whole venture, including the cost of the containers, will cost around 2,500 a year.

G&P; Batteries is able to process about 80% of the batteries using a shredding method. As part of this process, the chemicals which are found in the 80% – such as zinc carbon and manganese – are separated.

Director of G&P; Batteries Michael Green, said the company was still looking at a route for the chemicals but that there were currently options for these to be processed in Europe. “In Europe, the chemicals are used again industrially, but we are looking at the best way to do this in the UK. There are a lot of industrial uses for the chemicals and we are researching companies which can use them.”

Mr Green said that G&P; does not reprocess the other 20% of the batteries which consist of materials with several different chemistries. “We have existing contracts with companies in Europe for the treatment of these,” he said.

Since the licensing agreement for the West Bromwich site was signed in June, Mr Green said some 100 tonnes of batteries had been collected. G&P;'s new plant is due to open in January 2005 and will have the capacity to process 1,500 tonnes of batteries a year.

“We are expecting to take around 500 tonnes a year on an eight-hour shift at first. The batteries from West Sussex will be among the first batches to go through in the new year.”

• The EU Batteries Directive which is designed increase the amount of batteries collected and recycled is expected to come into force within the next two years. (see lets recycle.com)