How Do You Recycle Batteries?
When it comes to battery recycling in South Africa, you have two options. You can either sign up for a special battery collecting service or drop the batteries off at one of the many battery recycling centers or recycling stations located throughout the country.
Many major supermarkets, like Pick n Pay and Woolworths, offer prominent recycling containers, including dedicated battery recycling bins.
If you are unsure where to find acceptable battery recycling centers and points in your area, consult Postwink’s List of Recycling Collectors for a company near you, or consult the Sustainable Seas Trust’s map.
Finding recycling locations for batteries and other recyclable products will significantly minimize your carbon footprint in the future.
Postwink also makes battery collection containers – enquire about our Battery Ecocylinders! These will assist you in storing your household batteries between drop-offs and collections.
The significance of battery recycling
The names of the materials alone should raise red flags!
Simply by looking at their titles, it is clear that batteries contain a variety of dangerous substances that, when dumped, can be extremely harmful to the environment. If we don’t recycle them, harmful compounds like lead and mercury will end up in our rivers, land, and air. The good news is that most batteries are 100% reusable, allowing for easier disposal.
Do Woolworths accept used batteries?
Simply place your batteries, mobile phones, and accessories in the labeled Recycling Unit placed in the store’s front. The following items can be placed in the Recycling Unit: Any type or brand of handheld battery, including button batteries, AAA, AA, A, C, D, and 9V.
Can you throw a battery away?
All spent batteries are classified as hazardous waste, and proper recycling is the ideal method. Even common household batteries contain toxic substances and should not be disposed of in the garbage.
“Why should you not throw batteries away?”
We know that when batteries like these come into touch with the metal body of the garbage vehicle or with metals in the waste, major problems can and do occur. This has been demonstrated to generate sparks, which can swiftly ignite a fire.
