Britain's first household battery recycling plant, which G&P Batteries is operating, opened March 17 in the English Midlands.
According to a Reuters report, the plant will recycle alkaline and zinc carbon batteries and is capable of processing 1,500 metric tons yearly.
G&P told Reuters that the U.K. generates 30,000 metric tons of household batteries per year and that less than 2 percent is collected for recycling.
New European legislation that is expected to be enforced by mid-2006, will require Britain to recycle 25 percent of spent batteries by 2012.
Reuters reports that the plant will recover steel and black mass, which is a mixture of zinc, manganese and carbon that can be processed into zinc and manganese compounds or refined into metal.
According the Reuters, the value of the recycled materials does not cover the processing cost, but companies with a focus on waste management or an eye toward ISO certification are willing to pay for the service.
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