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Battery Recycling Stations

Did you know, batteries are hazardous waste that cannot be placed in any of your kerbside rubbish bins? In fact, not only are batteries harmful to the environment and pose health risks, they can cause a fire in the bin, the rubbish truck or even the compactor itself.

So to help avoid any of this, Council has teamed up with Envirowaste and New World Waimate to offer correct and safe battery recycling options to the community. Battery recycling stations have now been introduced to both the Waimate Resource Recovery Park (RRP) and New World Waimate, accepting four types of household batteries (please check the appropriate label on each of the four compartments to ensure you are recycling the correct battery). Batteries accepted are; lithium-ion (Li-ion), nickel-cadmium, alkaline, zinc air batteries, silver zinc, button cell/coin batteries and nickel-metal hydride batteries.

Due to the chemical components of batteries, they can pose a great risk to human health and the environment if they are not managed and disposed of properly. Batteries also contain valuable metal and other components that can be recovered and used again. Therefore, the benefits of battery recycling include:

  • To keep toxic and hazardous substances from the environment
  • Recover and reuse valuable resources
  • Reduce the need to extract more resources
  • Save energy
  • Reduce the risk of fire from lithium-ion batteries
  • Reduce the amount of waste we generate and take to landfill

The battery recycling stations are divided into four compartments, with each of the areas accommodating a specific type of battery. Please check the label on each of the compartments to help identify which type of battery you are recycling and where it belongs.

Battery types accepted are:

Alkaline, Drycell & Zinc batteries (flashlights, radios, remote controls, smoke detectors, LED penlights. etc)

Li-ion batteries (laptops, cameras, cellphones, tools. etc)

Button'Cell batteries (watches, hearing aids, calculators, bathroom scales, games, toys, electronic jewellery, key fobs, musical greeting cards)

Other - (NiCd, NiMH, gel cell, button cells, Cr123 camera, batteries)

Battery recycling stations are available at both New World Waimate (95 Queen Street), or at the Waimate Resource Recovery Park (61 Racecourse Road, Waimate) - during standard operating hours.

Yes, leaking or damaged batteries can be accepted. But they will have to be separated from the rest of other batteries. Place the leaky or damaged battery in a zip lock or plastic bag appropriate for its size and weight and drop it into the appropriate compartment of the receptacle.

Be careful not to get any of the leaking materials on your hands. Use gloves if necessary, and clean up when you finish.

No matter the type of battery, observe these safety tips:

  • Leave the battery packaging (housing) intact; do not break the battery open. Breaking the battery exposes one to the risk of fire, damaging health, and its components are damaging to the environment too. Remodelled batteries are not accepted for recycling.
  • Never burn batteries. When the chemical contents of batteries come into contact with fire, the battery can explode, sending shrapnel flying.
  • Keep all batteries away from moisture, whether still alive, dead or expired. Wrapping batteries with nonconductive material is recommended.

Council are still accepting car batteries at no cost, at the Resource Recovery Park.

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