BATTERY RECYCLING MUST BECOME A REALITY IN THE WEST MIDLANDS

5.55.39pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 15th May 2007

Local Lib Dem MEP Liz Lynne today handed in her used batteries for recycling as part of the 2007 battery collection day in the European Parliament.

Liz learns about re-chargeable batteries

At present, thousands of tonnes of waste batteries and accumulators are being discarded each year polluting the environment even when they contain hazardous substances like mercury, lead or cadmium.

Speaking from Brussels Liz said today:

"My hope is that recycling initiative's such as this spread throughout the UK, the immediate priority must be to make sure that we collect as many batteries as possible and ensure that they are safely recycled"

"The UK's record on battery recycling is shameful, at present only 0.5% batteries are recycled, compared to 59% here in Brussels"

The EU's Electrical and Electronic Waste Directive requires manufacturers to take responsibility for ensuring that their products are recycled. It was due to start in 2004 but has been delayed by the Government and leaves the UK as the last EU country to comply.

The European Court of Justice has condemned the UK's failure to put EU recycling laws in place.

Local MEP Liz Lynne has accused the Government of dragging its heels;

"Ministers say one thing when they agree new laws in Brussels but downgrade their environmental priorities when they get back to Whitehall. It's not a very convincing demonstration of the joined-up thinking we were promised from this Government."

"Electrical waste recycling laws have been operating successfully in a number of EU countries for some years. Britain does not have to reinvent the wheel it just has to copy best environmental practice.