Recycling Batteries

Did you know? The average household uses 21 batteries a year. Currently, only a very small percentage of consumer disposable batteries are recycled (less than 2%).

Batteries including those from mobile phones, laptops, hearing aids, watches, portable cameras, torches, electric toothbrushes, razors, hand-held vacuum cleaners, toys and other household batteries can be recycled at the locations listed in the ‘Related Downloads’ section.

It is important that you dispose of your household batteries into a battery recycling container at one of the sites listed in the ‘Related Downloads’ section of this page. Batteries contain chemicals like lead and mercury and if they are taken to a landfill, can leak into the soil and water, which can result in a risk of health to humans.

If you recycle batteries, you are helping to avoid these health risks and some of the valuable and raw materials within batteries can be reused again to make new products. If you can, use rechargeable batteries or use solar powered or wind up items where possible.

Information on what to do with batteries can be found on the Recycle for Scotland website. A link is available from the 'Related Sites' section of this page.

Places to take your household batteries for recycling

Orkney Islands Council now has specific containers for the collection of household batteries, including mobile phone batteries. The batteries that are collected will be recycled.

Containers can be found in many public buildings as well as:

• Shops selling batteries.
• Recycling centres (Household Waste Recycling Centre (orkney.gov.uk)) where larger batteries which will not fit in retailers’ containers can be left.

Batteries that do not fit in the containers should be taken to one of the local Household Waste Recycling Centres.