School poster competition shows the power of art when it comes to recycling batteries

A poster competition for North Tyneside primary schoolchildren is alerting local residents to the need to recycle and use batteries responsibly. 

Seven-year-old Anna McAlindon, pictured, from St Mary’s Primary School, Forest Hall, was the winner of £100 in the competition. Anna’s winning design features a battery character with arms and a smiling face standing on top of the world. It can now be seen around the county on the sides of an 18-tonne recycling collection vehicle.

The competition, which was organised by North Tyneside Council and environmental compliance specialist Valpak, and sponsored by GAP Group, was designed to raise awareness of the need to recycle batteries. It asked 4–11-year-olds to design a poster that would encourage people to recycle their batteries, rather than putting them in the general waste bin. 

“We were very pleased with the way the children engaged with the subject,” said 

Peter Moody, Managing Director of the waste electrical recycling GAP Group. “Recycling batteries is really important, and only becoming more so as battery-operated products become more and more popular at home and in businesses. The next generation understands this and is educating the adults. We all need to play our part in recycling as much as we can, as effectively as we can.”

Nigel Tomlinson, Commercial Manager at Valpak, said: “It is really important to understand why we need to recycle batteries carefully. Unintentional fires can happen when a battery is crushed in the back of a recycling vehicle, for example, damaging the case. If water gets inside the casing, a fire can start. It is potentially dangerous, expensive for the processors and the council and, if people recycle batteries properly, it is entirely avoidable.”

North Tyneside Council designed a schools’ workshop that highlighted why everyone needs to recycle batteries, whether at home, in school or at work. This led onto the poster competition, with over 250 schools taking part. 

Sandra Graham, Cabinet Member for the Environment, North Tyneside Council, said: “Raising awareness of the correct disposal of batteries is something we have actively pushed in North Tyneside over the past year.

“In response to a rising number of fires caused by batteries being placed in people’s recycling or general waste bins, the council and Valpak have introduced over 100 battery recycling tubes in our schools, leisure centres, sheltered schemes and council buildings to make it easier for people to dispose of their batteries correctly. 

“We were delighted to become involved in the battery poster competition to promote the safe recycling of batteries. Our lucky winner, Anna, produced a striking piece of artwork of which we were all really proud. Valpak and GAP Group are very supportive of the campaigns we run, and we look forward to working with them further as we continue to deliver our battery initiatives which have already driven down the number of batteries finding their way into household waste and recycling bins.”

 Tomlinson added: “By displaying the winning entry on the side of the GAP collection vehicles across the county, more and more people will see the message and it is also wonderful for the children to know that their artwork can make a difference. The competition and workshops also highlighted how buying rechargeable batteries is also a positive decision to help the environment.”

Batteries should not go into normal household waste and should be disposed of correctly at battery disposal points. These can be found in many supermarkets and at the Household Waste Recycling Centre in North Shields.

Ends

Editors notes

More background about Valpak and battery recycling can be found at: https://www.valpak.co.uk/compliance/batteries

If you are a business or school and want to request a free battery recycling box, please visit: https://batterybox.valpak.co.uk

Valpak’s mission is to create a sustainable, waste-free world. We are driven, not by today. We are driven by tomorrow.

We help our clients to reduce waste and recycle more, continually innovating and using leading data science and expertise to inspire businesses, help push ourselves – and our industry – forward. We don’t just show our customers how to navigate waste regulations; we help them become more sustainable, through our ever-increasing capabilities and pioneering innovations.

Valpak is the largest environmental compliance scheme in the UK. We work with major names, such as J Sainsbury’s, ASOS, and Miele, and manage compliance for more than 2,000 businesses. In 2017, the company celebrated its 20thanniversary.

Valpak is a Reconomy Group company. Reconomy is the UK’s largest provider of outsourced resource management and recycling services. It works with customers of all sizes across industry sectors, using a technology-enabled, value-added approach to help businesses reach its sustainability goals. Following the acquisitions of Noventiz and RLG in Germany in 2020, adding further specialism in compliance and international product returns, the Reconomy Group’s aim is to become the leading global provider of services to drive the circular economy.

Valpak services include:

• Compliance under Waste Packaging, WEEE, and Battery Directives.
• Data insights.
• International compliance.
• Recycling services (total waste management options and solutions for niche materials).
• Consultancy.
• Accreditation under environmental schemes, such as Zero Waste to Landfill. 

Valpak invests in pioneering systems and expertise which enable its customers to analyse, assess and improve product design. The Product Data Hub, Insight Platform and dedicated teams work together to drive change.