Schools lead the way in battery recycling!

Castleroe Primary, Sandelford Special, Ballyhackett Primary (Castlerock), Coleraine Academical Institution and Coleraine High schools and the Northern Regional College in Coleraine, are leading the way in battery recycling in the North West.

Keen to do their bit for the environment, these are the first schools – and college – to take on the battery recycling challenge in the Coleraine Borough Council area.

Determined to reduce waste and help the environment, Castleroe Primary School was first off the mark in requesting a battery box from Coleraine Borough Council’s Recycling Officer.  Provided by ERP – the company contracted to recycle batteries in Northern Ireland – the red and white battery boxes are provided and emptied free of charge to schools in the Coleraine Borough.

Fiona Watters, Recycling Officer, Coleraine Borough Council, explains, “Only 5% of the UK’s batteries are recycled.  We want to change this.  That’s why we are asking schools to take on the battery recycling challenge.  By putting battery boxes in schools, we are making recycling easier and more convenient for school staff and parents and hope increase the number of batteries recycled.”

All schools in the Coleraine Borough have been invited to take part, so it is hoped more will join in soon.  Battery boxes are available in Cloonavin (Council HQ), Coleraine Leisure Centre (Railway Road) and in many shops throughout the Coleraine Borough Council area for people to deposit their used batteries for recycling.

Fiona added, “Battery recycling is easy and free to do.  Recycling our batteries means we are saving precious resources to be used again and sending less waste to landfill.  Battery recycling is good for us and good for the environment.”

To receive a battery box for your school, please contact Fiona Watters, Waste & Recycling Officer on 028 7034 7272 or email [email protected] or visit www.colerainbc.gov.uk/recycle