www.sundayherald.com
Many of Scotland’s big-name retailers seem to be unaware of the new laws that require them to assist customers in the recycling of used batteries.
In a new survey conducted by the Sunday Herald it was found that there was considerable confusion, ignorance and incorrect advice given to customers by a number of high street shops when asked about battery recycling.
Of the 14 major retailers having over 500 outlets across Scotland, all but one admitted that they did not offer battery recycling facilities. PC World - the only one that did – said that it had not been promoting the facility as it feared that it would be overwhelmed by customer usage.
Retailers have been criticised by battery manufacturers and environmentalists have accused them of “burying their heads in the sand.”
Each year, around 41 million batteries are used in the country, and after use, most are dumped in landfill. Batteries typically contain toxic heavy metals including cadmium, mercury and nickel – all of which contaminate the water and the soil, posing threats to humans and wildlife.
New regulations were introduced in the UK last week that bring a three-year-old EU directive into force, legally requiring major retailers that sell batteries to offer in-store facilities for battery recycling by February of 2010. The aim is recycle 45 per cent or more of all batteries purchased for household use by 2016.
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