HWUMC

where can I get rid of old batteries in an environmentally friendly way?
cheers

Reuben brought mine to a special place... It is really incredible that it is so complicated!

Yeah, to be honest I've never known, which is why I didn't reply! Let me know where the special place is

Yeah, post it here on the forum, would be useful.

Bit of googling reveals that there are three places to possibly take batteries in edinburgh see - http://leep.interactive.co.uk/

I use the word possibly as for car batteries it says

Car Batteries
Car batteries are collected for recycling at the three Community Recycling Centres at Fillyside Road, Seafield; Old Dalkeith Road, Craigmillar or Craigs Road, Braehead

There are currently very few recycling facilities for household batteries in the UK. See http://www.leep.org.uk/tgtw or contact LEEP Recycling for details of how to reduce the number of household batteries you use.

while for electrical equipment it says

Electrical and Electronic Equipment
Electrical and electronic equipment (any item with a plug or a battery) can be taken to the Community Recycling Centres at Fillyside Road, Seafield; Old Dalkeith Road, Craigmillar or Craigs Road, Braehead for recycling.

so it appear that household batteries are either recycled or disposed of as electrical equipment if i've read that right.

Hmmm...in the first reference it just says that there are few places so instead they just tell you how to reduce the number of batteries you use...

I guess if they want items containing a battery at the recycling centre though, that's the best bet.

There's a shop called Mad Jack's Back on Elm Row and you can buy a funny little LED thing that you attach your old batteries to and they will make the lights flash. This drains all remaining life out of the battery, which then means that you can just throw them away normally apparently!

This thread reminds me of my favorite Steven "dead-pan" Wright jokes, from back in the 80s when you didn't get batteries included in the products you bought (like you used to have to buy plugs separately too. Ah, those were the days ..... )

"I bought some batteries the other day, but they weren't included, so I had to buy them again"

Along with my other favorite:

"Yesterday I accidentally put my car keys into my front door, and started up my house, so I decided to go for a drive. I got stopped by the police, and they asked me were I lived, and I said "right here"".