Problem
Conwy County Borough Council was an early adopter of kerbside sort collections and Welsh Government’s Collections Blueprint. The Council has been collecting household batteries for many years as part of its commitment to improving recycling rates. However, alongside the environmental benefits, a growing concern emerged: an increase in the number of fires caused by crushed batteries. When disposed of incorrectly, batteries can cause dangerous fires that damage collection vehicles and waste processing facilities. In 2023, the National Fire Chiefs Council reported over 1,200 battery fires in bin lorries and waste sites across the UK, primarily due to crushed vapes and lithium batteries.
To ensure safety and enhance recycling performance, the Council wanted to ensure residents knew what to do with old household batteries as part of its battery recycling strategy.
Solution
In response to these challenges, Conwy County Borough Council introduced separate kerbside collections for household batteries in 2011. Residents place batteries in a designated reusable white bag provided by the Council, which features Velcro straps for secure closure. The bag is attached to the handle of the Trolibocs stackable recycling container system, making it highly visible to collection crews and reducing the risk of being missed. Batteries are collected weekly alongside other recycling by the resource recovery vehicle, making participation easy and convenient for residents. The collected batteries are then deposited at the Council’s transfer station into containers provided by the producer compliance scheme, EPR UK. Once there is sufficient volume, EPR UK arranges for the batteries to be picked up and processed at licensed facilities.
To raise awareness and encourage participation, the Council launched school competitions, educating young people on the importance of proper battery disposal and recycling. These annual competitions involve students bringing batteries from home to deposit at collection points in their schools or colleges. After a monitoring period, the volume of batteries collected are assessed, and vouchers, donated by EPR UK, are distributed as prizes.
Impact
Introducing weekly collections of household batteries has delivered significant environmental and safety benefits:
- High collection volumes: In 2023/24, Conwy County Borough Council collected nearly 10 tonnes of batteries via kerbside collections.
- Enhanced public awareness: Through community engagement efforts such as school competitions, residents have become more informed and proactive about responsible battery disposal.
- Reduced fire risk: The availability of kerbside collections of batteries, coupled with greater engagement with residents, has significantly reduced the risk of batteries being placed in bins for non-recyclable waste, thereby decreasing the risk of fires.