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

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

Eleanor Walton and Isla Morrow, both aged 13 and pupils at the Harton Academy, South Shields, and seven-year-old Anna McAlindon from St Mary’s Primary School, Forest Hall, each won £100. The poster designs can now be seen around the county on the sides of three 18-tonne GAP recycling collection vehicles.

The competitions, which were organised by North and South Tyneside Councils and environmental compliance specialist Valpak, and sponsored by GAP Group, were designed to raise awareness of the need to recycle batteries. They asked over 200 schoolchildren 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 students 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 increasingly popular at home and in businesses. The next generation understands this and is educating the adults. We really loved both entries that eventually won. It is was so close, and we couldn’t choose between them, so we felt they both deserved to win £100 each.”

Nigel Tomlinson, Commercial Manager at Valpak, said: “It is 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.”

South Tyneside Council and the South Tyne and Wear Waste Management Partnership (STWWMP) designed the poster competition to highlight why everyone needs to recycle batteries, whether at home, in school or at work.

Sir Ken Gibson, Executive Head Teacher at Harton Academy, said: “It was wonderful to see the completion of the GAP/Valpak Battery Recycling Poster competition. The winners have been able to see their artwork come to life on the sides of the recycling lorries. Huge thanks to Anne Malabar from Groundwork NE&C, our Art Teacher Anne Brunniche and the school’s Eco Lead Jules Ewing for co-ordinating the competition, and for GAP and Valpak sponsoring the competition. It is a great example of industry working with education to bring new knowledge to the next generation.” 

Tomlinson added: “By displaying the winning entries on the side of the GAP collection vehicles across the county, more and more people will see the message and it is also fantastic for the children to know that their artwork can make a difference. The competition 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 at take-back schemes in retailers, in many supermarkets, and at the Household Waste Recycling Centres.

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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 have managed compliance for more than 4,000 businesses. In 2017, the company celebrated its 20th anniversary.

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.