Many European countries began recycling batteries years earlier than the UK (Austria commenced activities in 1992 and currently recycles over 60% of all batteries sold there). By comparison, the UK currently recycles about 5% of its batteries. 

Bristol City Council ran a trial during 2002-3 and proved that significant advances can be made in this respect by utiltising the kerb side collection scheme. Around 6% of batteries purchased in the area were collected in its pilot year and that amounted to around 10 tonnes of batteries.

The Czech Republic has totally prohibited batteries entering landfill since 2002 - we must adopt similar action and ensure recycling becomes the norm.

What happens to the batteries we collect?

The batteries are sold to a local scrap metal merchant who is regulated by the environmental agency. The batteries are then sold to the highest bidder for recycling. The buyer then extracts the metals, etc, and disposes of the now innate raw materials properly. So everyone wins!