This is the third bin in the city, following one located in the council’s own Customer Service Centre on Regent Street and one in Waitrose in Trumpington.
Quoting from the City Council press release:
“Working with local shops is a good way to get the collection points where people really need them, and means people don’t have to make extra journeys to recycle” says Recycling Officer Rebecca Weymouth.
As well as helping to manage the collections, the retailers contribute towards the cost of recycling the batteries, as part of their producer responsibilities.
Budgens’ manager Brian Moorey was keen to get involved. “We recognise that as a key focal point for the local community we have the opportunity to support projects like this and help them to succeed. We want to give something back – both to people
living here and to the environment, and the battery recycling project is just one of many ways we are trying to do just that.”
Since the first battery bank was installed last year, about 130,000 household batteries have been collected for recycling. The old batteries are taken away by G&P Batteries and sorted in a UK facility before being sent for recycling in Europe. The metal casings are melted down and recycled, and the chemicals are extracted to be reused in other applications.
This is a welcome addition to the recycling opportunities in King's Hedges. Many thanks to the staff at Budgens and to the recycling team at the City Council.
