The least amount of sorting the better both cost-wise and with less likelihood of fires. This and increasing producer responsibility is why many Councils no longer collect batteries with their other collections.There have been a lot of fires in collection lorries and in waste sorting/transfer facilities. It isn't just lithium batteries which are a particular problem but any batteries when damaged before and during collection and transfer can cause fires. These fires can go on for days causing tremendous damage, loss of facilities and air and soil pollution. Please remember there are also a lot of items which have batteries enclosed which can't be removed - such as disposable vapes. There are also some small electrical disposal street banks in Ealing as well as the electrical disposal points in supermarkets and electrical stores. It is always worth checking before you take a bus with something large which might not fit and so that you don't end up taking it home again. Warning: Leaving something beside an overfull bank is considered to be fly tipping - so it is useful to everyone else if you do see an overfull bank to report it. Do look at this website:https://www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/flash-fires-the-hidden-hazards-of-binning-batteries/You can also put your postcode in on the above website and should find a recycling point near you.The following very useful national website has also recently been updated (presumably because of new funding)!: www.recyclenow.comRegulations change, facilities change, machines change and systems change. There are new inventions on sale all of the time - so let's hope they are all designed as well as they should be for recycling!I've seen both a battery collection container AND a vapes collection container in a Sainsbury's local by the cigarette counter/checkouts. There are lots of them about!
Philippa Bond ● 11d