By Staff Writer

Maribyrnong City Council in Victoria will conduct a three month trial of Batteryback – a new recycling program whereby residents can drop off their unwanted batteries at Harvey Norman Highpoint to be recycled for free.

City of Maribyrnong mayor, Cr Michael Clarke, said the town is home to one of only four Batteryback trial locations across metropolitan Melbourne.

“Thousands of tonnes of batteries go to landfill each year, because householders have nowhere else to conveniently dispose of them,” he said.

“All batteries collected through Batteryback will be recycled, ensuring that harmful metals such as cadmium, mercury and lead are recovered for other uses and that non-recoverable parts are disposed of in the most sustainable way.”

The Batteryback program is calling for unwanted rechargeable batteries, which can be found in mobile and cordless phones, video and digital cameras, laptops, palm pilots, cordless power tools and portable video games.

“The concept of Batteryback is so easy that there’s no excuse not to use it – simply hunt down old batteries around the house and bring them into Harvey Norman Highpoint next time you’re shopping,” said Cr Clarke.

Batteryback is an initiative of Sustainability Victoria, rechargeable battery manufacturer UniRoss and waste management operator Cleanaway.