Welsh minister launches battery recycling campaign

Welsh environment minister Jane Davidson yesterday (March 23) launched a schools battery recycling campaign that aims to boost relatively low collection rates of the waste stream.

The initiative, dubbed the UK Schools Battery Recycling Campaign, has been organised and funded by batteries compliance scheme Budget Pack and aims to help capture four million batteries for recycling by the end of 2011.

It has been devised by education professionals with the help of children and aims to offer schools a free, easy, fun and educational Battery Recycling Pack to inspire and inform children, their parents or carers and school staff.

Launching the campaign at St Marys RC Primary School in Newport, South Wales, Ms Davidson said the initiative had a role to play in helping Wales to reach its target of recycling 70% of all waste by 2025.

“If we are to reach our target of recycling 70% of our waste by 2025 and being zero waste by 2050 we all have to play our part. In addition we need to ensure that we are not just recycling those substances which are easy to recycle, and we are not just recycling in the home, she said.

She added: It is wonderful that so many children are so enthusiastic about recycling and about preventing waste. We have a duty to educate and inform them in the safe and sustainable disposal of waste and it is imperative that we offer them easy and fun ways to get recycling in school and at home.

Take up of schemes such as this, which offer teaching resources and waste collection support, should be encouraged in schools across Wales.

The Campaigns Schools Battery Recycling pack includes a school assembly introduction to battery recycling, curriculum-led teaching resources for Key Stages 1 and 2, recycling collection boxes, bags and posters, an inter-school recycling competition and prizes, as well as the ongoing collection of batteries for recycling.

Budget Pack

The packs and teaching resources are being provided to schools by Budget Pack, and the schemes managing director, Steve Clark, said: As a leader in the business of recycling and waste compliance, Budget Pack wanted to offer a scheme that schools can easily join to improve the number of domestic batteries recycled across the UK.

Our campaign is fun, accessible and aims to change battery usage and recycling behaviour in the long-term. We want to play our part in supporting the One Planet Living agenda and believe our schools are the best place to start.