Here’s my latest column for the Muswell Hill Flyer and the Highgate Handbook:
I try to be good with recycling – but when it comes to batteries it is sometimes quite difficult because there isn’t an easy and convenient place to put them locally.
We have battery recycling bins at Parliament – so that makes it easy for me. But how many of us do bother to take batteries to the recycling centres? I don’t know – but I suspect the odd one or two just gets put in the normal rubbish.
So – I just wanted to tell you about a success my Liberal Democrat colleagues on Haringey Council had in the budget debate. Haringey Council agreed to implement Liberal Democrats plans that will provide new green incentives and better recycling in the borough.
My LibDem colleagues proposed that Haringey Council provide new battery recycling services in libraries, community buildings and schools, and new green incentives for local traders and residents to move to ‘greener’ vehicles by reducing parking fees for the least polluting cars.
Even better – the new measures will be paid for by freezing allowances for councillors to the tune of £14,000!
This follows fast on the heals of the new rules passed by the European Union which mean that as of February 2010 shops must have battery recycling bins for residents to use if they sell the equivalent of 1 pack a day. It makes it so much easier to be good – if there is a facility for us to recycle things like batteries easily available. I went to a Tesco local next to my office in Hornsey High Street to celebrate their new battery recycling facilities installed to meet the EU rules.
Until now, people who wanted to do the right thing had to make their way to one of Haringey’s two recycling centres – and that’s not the best way to encourage recycling of some of our most hazardous waste. Batteries are so bad for the environment, and most people do want to do their bit for our planet – it’s only right to make it as easy as possible for people to do just that.
As an added bonus: in terms of encouraging greener vehicles – Haringey Council agreed to the LibDem proposals that there would be free parking for the greenest business vehicles and free parking for the greenest residents’ vehicles.
Hurrah!
Lynne Featherstone 
Well done Lynne – I’ve got a ton of old Nickel Cadmium rechargeable batteries to recycle which I’ve been hoarding for years – never sure where to take them. Now I know!
as ideas go its not too bad. why not pay people like they used to for old bottles and such. if they paid so much a kilo people would take them to the recycling place.
I have just spoken with my 10 year old who attends Coldfall Primary School which was I believe one of the first schools to have an Eco flag in London. I will talk to the Head Teacher to see if she could arrange that battery recycling is another way forward.
Thank you for the up date on battery recycling.
I think its a great idea and I have just seen the battery Re-cycling bin at Homebase in Wood Green.
We are way behind other countries like Sweden where they have had separate battery bins for many year and that has encouraged people to dispose of them properly.
On the subject of electric cars such as the Toyota Prius,what happens to the lithium batteries when exhausted ?
Is it really a greener vehicle ?
Peter Stratford