Londoners encouraged to recycle batteries

5.25.53pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 21st Apr 2004

Liberal Democrats across London stress the importance of increasing recycling. Here Sarah Ludford, Simon Hughes MP and Cllr Bridget Fox highlight doorstep recycling in Islington

Battery collection boxes may soon start to appear in every London home after Euro-MPs gave their backing on Tuesday to plans to boost recycling and halt the leaching of acid from old batteries into soil and water.

London's Liberal Democrat Euro-MP, Baroness Sarah Ludford welcomed the development, saying:

"While the Mayor of London's Labour party is cutting funding for environmental issues*, the European Parliament, with LibDems at the forefront, is keeping up the pressure for legislation to protect our environment."

The European Parliament is calling for a minimum of 50% of all household batteries used annually to be collected for recycling within five years.

Amongst EU countries only Belgium currently exceeds this collection target with battery collection boxes a familiar sight in homes and offices across Brussels. In Britain only industrial and vehicles batteries are recycled at present.

MEPs have also called for the long term replacement of nickel-cadmium and lead batteries by less toxic alternatives.

Baroness Ludford added: "Cadmium is a carcinogenic substance that accumulates in the human body and is very toxic to aquatic life so it is right to develop alternatives and phase out its use. The immediate priority is to make sure that we collect as many cadmium batteries as possible and ensure that they are safely recycled."

Note

*Funding for environmental campaigns has dramatically decreased in the past year, and is now at its lowest level since Labour came to power. The Government has abolished its flagship "Are you doing your bit?" campaign which encouraged energy conservation and recycling.

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