The CoBRA scheme (Community Battery Recycling Alliance) was initiated by Mark David Hatwood in 2007. Mark approached his County Council and asked for permission to collect batteries on behalf of his community. At the time this wasn’t possible, but after six week’s negotiation, Mark was eventually given dispensation by both the Environment Agency and the County to run a trial scheme in his village – the first of its kind anywhere in the UK.
Over the following months, as word of what he had achieved reached the press, the scheme grew as Mark helped other concerned volunteers set up similar collection points in their own communities. He then created the www.CobraScheme.co.uk website – an aid to help others find their local collection point, to inform the public about the importance of battery collection, and attract new volunteers to the scheme.
Within 12 months over 58 collection points were created throughout Cornwall and Isles of Scilly collecting in excess of 35 tonnes of batteries in just two years – most of which (29 Tonnes) were collected in the second year of its initiation. The CoBRA Scheme went on to win four national awards in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and now the scheme is available to all counties throughout the UK.
Until the birth of the CoBRA Scheme, each year in the UK we recycled less than 2% of the 45,000 tonnes of batteries we used. (Figures for 2002 put Britain's collection rate for batteries at just 0.5%. This compared to 59% for Belgium and 55% for Sweden). The remaining 98% went into landfill.
Batteries are made from a number of materials including acid, lead, nickel, lithium, cadmium, alkaline, mercury and nickel metal hydride. When batteries are not disposed of properly, the casing can disintegrate and the toxic chemicals can leach into the surrounding environment. The leaking material can contaminate the soil and water and some of the elements can accumulate in wildlife and humans.
Thankfully an EU directive came into force in the UK in 2010 which states that 12% of all batteries by 2012, and 45% of batteries by 2016, must be collected and recycled. But, given the volume we use in the UK (around a billion batteries per annum) this is a huge task. Without your help, we could fall short of those targets and face a possible E.U. fine.
Absolutely. Sign-up and become a CoBRA volunteer for your area. It is through pioneers like yourself that we can help save the environment, change the way people think about recycling and educate them as to the benefits whilst reducing the need for Council-led schemes which cost you, the rate payer’s, tax.
Maybe your council isn’t aware of the CoBRA Scheme’s cost effectiveness – saving them landfill tax without the need for a costly council-run collection scheme? Why not download and send them our template letter and, in the mean time, consider these other alternatives:
Use the mains when possible.
Use rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. This saves energy because the energy needed to manufacture a battery is on average 50 times greater than the energy it gives out. (However, rechargeable batteries are not suitable for smoke alarms as they tend to run out suddenly, preventing the alarm from warning when battery power is low.)
Opt for appliances that can use power derived from the sun via solar panels or from a winding mechanism, e.g. radios, mobile phone wind-up chargers.
Participate in other local authority battery collection schemes where they are available. If you Council doesn’t provide one at the moment, contact them and find out if they are planning to do so in future, but be aware that under the new EU regulations with regards batteries, council are not obliged by law to take part in battery collection schemes.