Australia | Almost 850 battery recycling bins have now been installed at Coles stores nationwide as the retailer looks to provide customers with a safe, convenient and effective way to recycle batteries and reduce household waste.
Customers are encouraged to bring their household batteries to the marked recycling bins at the front of each store to give the batteries a second life rather than going to the landfill.
Coles General Manager of Sustainability Brooke Donnelly said batteries are one of the fastest growing waste problems in Australia, and this initiative not only helps to address the challenge but also advances our transition to a circular economy.
“It’s estimated that Aussies have more than 150 million loose batteries in their homes, but only 12 percent are being recycled. By adding battery collection bins out the front of our stores, we’re providing a way for our customers to recycle their batteries that is safe and convenient,” said Donnelly.
Coles has become an accredited participant of the government-backed battery recycling scheme B-cycle and, through this agreement, has partnered with materials recovery companies Close the Loop and Ecobatt to manage the bins, battery collection and recycling.
B-cycle CEO Libby Chaplin said the country’s first Battery Stewardship Scheme was pleased to welcome Coles to the program and believes it will help increase the public’s awareness around battery recycling.
“Before the scheme launched in 2021, 63 percent of people said they were disposing of their batteries in their general waste and recycling bins. Thankfully, that is changing now, and through our partnership with Coles and the addition of 846 bins at the front of their stores, more customers will learn that batteries need to go to a dedicated battery drop-off point instead,” Chaplin said.
Close the Loop spokesperson Kesh Nair commended Coles on its decision to roll out battery bins at most of its stores and said disposing of batteries correctly can prevent several risks, such as leakage of hazardous materials into the environment.
Nair explained that the bins use innovative technology that detects fire risks before they occur and notifies Close the Loop when the batteries are ready for collection. The batteries are then taken for sorting and recycled into materials and products like new batteries.
“This is a far better alternative than going to landfill, where there is additional risk of leakage of hazardous materials into soil, water and drainage systems,” said Nair.
Planet Ark CEO Rebecca Gilling said that research shows many Australians still need to be aware that batteries should never be put in their household recycling or garbage bin.
“The visibility and convenience of this initiative will help shift customer behaviour by making it easy for people to do the right thing and recycle their batteries,” said Gilling.
The bins accept any brand of AA, AAA, C, D, rectangular 6- and 9-volt batteries, and button cell batteries. Customers who use the collection bins to recycle their batteries must tape the ends around the battery terminals with sticky tape to help prevent fires.
