Let's B-Cycle the Right Way
Shellharbour City Council is supporting B-Cycle, Australia's official battery disposal program, by promoting convenient battery drop off points to help everyone safely get rid of old batteries.
By using B-Cycle, 95% of battery materials can be recovered and turned into new products, keeping harmful waste out of our land and water. Old batteries are broken down into materials like plastic, nickel, steel, and lithium, which can then be reused to create metal tools, computer parts, or even brand-new batteries.
Caption: Tape, Trap, Take. Image courtesy of Shellharbour City Council.
As part of its ongoing efforts to educate the community, Council has launched an awareness campaign to tackle battery related fires. Learn how to safely dispose of household batteries, find local drop off points, and stay across updates by visiting Shellharbour Waste's B-Cycle webpage.
Shellharbour City Mayor Chris Homer said this campaign is an important step in keeping both people and the planet safe.
"Batteries might be small, but they can cause big problems if we don't get rid of them the right way," Mayor Homer said.
"Council is proud to support the B-Cycle program, it helps our community stay safe and protect the environment. It's a simple way we can all do our part to prevent fires."
Batteries should never be disposed of in kerbside bins.
Did you know that batteries, especially lithium ones, are the main cause of fires in garbage trucks? In Australia, around 10,000 to 12,000 battery-related fires happen every year.
Australians buy enough batteries each year that they could wrap around the Earth 2.3 times - but only 10% of them are properly disposed of. The rest often end up in landfill, where there is risk of toxic chemicals being leaked into the ground and waterways.
Even worse, if battery ends (terminals) touch each other, they can spark and cause fires in bins, trucks, and waste centres.
The solution? B-Cycle!
Council is asking everyone to safely dispose of their batteries by following these 3 simple steps:
1. Tape the ends of your batteries with clear sticky tape.
2. Trap them in a glass jar or strong container and keep them away from kids.
3. Take them to your local B-cycle drop off point.
Types of batteries you can drop off include:
- Regular AA & other sized batteries
- Button batteries
- Rechargeable batteries
- Easily removeable batteries
For bigger batteries, like those from mobile phones, laptops, or TVs, as well as car batteries, visit the B-Cycle website to find the right drop off point or take them to Dunmore Recycling and Waste Disposal Depot.
