Batteries
Bundaberg Regional Council now offers a battery recovery program.
All batteries will be accepted FREE for disposal throughout the region, including alkaline, Li-ion, nickel metal hydride and nickel cadmium. (Excludes electric vehicle batteries)
Locations
Battery collection boxes are located throughout the region - you can drop your batteries at the below locations:
- All local Waste Facilities
- BRC Service Centres (Bundaberg, Gin Gin, Childers)
- Bundaberg Library
Other local businesses also provide battery recovery programs:
- Woolworths
- Aldi
- Officeworks
- Bunnings
How to dispose of batteries safely
For safety it is recommended to either tape the ends or bag your batteries to reduce contact with other batteries - this will help to reduce the risks of fires in our collection trucks and waste facilities.
What are the benefits of recycling batteries
By separating and diverting batteries from landfill, valuable metals, such as cadmium, zinc, manganese, cobalt and rare earth metals, contained in batteries can be recovered through recycling.
In an effort to encourage battery recycling, Bundaberg Regional Council has formed a partnership with Envirostream to provide a new service to residents.
Envirostream is an onshore mixed-battery recycling company that was established in 2017. See how our region's batteries are recycled under this program in the video below.
Why batteries must be diverted from landfill
At the moment, 90% of all batteries in Australia end up in landfill. Sending this volume of batteries to landfill significantly increases the chances of fire and environmental risks. Batteries have increasingly become the cause of fires at our waste facilities and in garbage trucks.
Batteries also contain a variety of toxic metals (lead, nickel, cadmium, nickel-metal hydride and mercury) which are particularly detrimental in landfill and can seep through into the environment.
Council kerbside waste bin audits have shown that each week, every third waste bin in the region has at least one household battery – this contributes to safety risks for our garbage trucks and the environment at our waste facilities.