From February 1st this year we, along with most battery retailers in the UK, have been required to offer a domestic battery recycling facility.

Our bin has been provided by Spar and, we are told, will be emptied regularly. Which is fine.

In four weeks our customers have more than half filled the container. This is a tremendous success – however there are problems. We can clearly see that there is a lead/acid type battery in the bin that should not have been placed there. Is there a danger from storing a mix of batteries like this?

Defra seem to think there could be and have published some comprehensive advice in order to acclimatise to this new scheme.

There are still some yet to be answered questions however. Should Spar provide me a risk assessment for the bin, and should I revisit my fire risk assessment?

Make sure you are clued up on the rules on this battery legislation.