ERP Ireland’s Batteries for Barretstown goes to the Moon and Back as Schools Power Up for Battery Recycling Mission
136 Million AA Batteries recycled since campaign launched
19.02.24: The European Recycling Platform, Ireland’s only pan-European compliance scheme for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Waste Batteries is today asking schools to register and participate in the ‘Batteries for Barretstown’ Schools Challenge. Since Batteries for Barretstown was launched in 2017, the equivalent of over 136 million AA batteries have been recycled – that’s enough batteries to cover the distance from the Earth to the Moon and back five times!
The ‘Batteries for Barretstown’ School’s Challenge will be Powering Positivity in the following counties - Clare, Cavan, Kerry, Limerick, Louth, Meath, Monaghan and Dublin Fingal. Once schools have registered, they will receive a battery recycling kit which contains: Battery tubes, posters, biodegradable battery recycling bags for students to collect their batteries and stickers for those battery recycling champions. Teachers can sign their schools up to the challenge on the ERP website!
James Burgess, Country General Manager of ERP Ireland and proud supporter of Barretstown said: “Batteries for Barretstown was created to educate Ireland on the importance of battery recycling, increase the number of batteries recycled and raise much-needed funds for the children’s charity. Now in its seventh year, our partnership continues to go from strength to strength and we ask that schools get behind us once again and take on the Challenge to help Power Positivity.”
ERP Ireland has also created free educational online resources for teachers to use to inform young recyclers on why, how, and where to recycle used batteries and what happens to batteries after they are recycled.
Almost 50% of batteries sold in Ireland end up in landfill because they have been thrown out in domestic waste, so the valuable materials are lost forever. When batteries are disposed of incorrectly their corrosive materials can be harmful to the environment. Most types of batteries contain metals such as nickel and mercury, but these materials can be reused.
Tim O’Dea, Director of Development, Barretstown said: “The support Barretstown has received through the ‘Batteries for Barretstown’ campaign has been fantastic. We are delighted to be involved in this exciting initiative to educate and encourage people to recycle their batteries. A huge thank you to the ERP team for your continued support in Powering Positivity for our campers with this wonderful campaign.”
Make sure your school is registered for the ‘Batteries for Barretstown’ School’s Challenge to protect the environment and continue supporting this great cause. Batteries can be brought to any participating school so be sure to recycle your used batteries as part of your Spring clean this year!
For more information visit: https://erp-recycling.org/ie/who-are-you/schools-barretstown/