We had an assembly about batteries this morning, and am hoping that you can all help us make a difference.

It is recognised that batteries are incredibly useful things, but they are also contributing to issues involving landfill leachate and pollution. Some shock statistics gave us an idea of how just the UK is having an impact:

• 600 million batteries are thrown away each year – 22,000 tonnes
• Only 1/3 of the UK’s batteries are recycled
• Heavy metals and acids leak out into the environment

The government has set a target of 45% of batteries to enter recycling programs, but we thought we could achieve 100% for our school. We are sending each family a battery collecting box that we hope you can fill with any spent batteries. Once full, it can be returned to school where we can total up how much we are preventing from entering landfill.

A lot of the children were very aware of the problem, and they also suggested buying rechargeable batteries to reduce the volume of waste and lengthen their time in use before they require recycling – a superb recommendation. I know a certain Swedish furniture store offers a very low-cost range, including chargers, that make it an affordable choice.

Thank you 🙂