Pupils' assault on batteries...

AAA- star schools stop 1.5 MILLION hitting landfills as new rules bite

- BY SEAN MURPHY

NEW rules from the EU to safeguard against dangers from used batteries means students across Ireland are being urged to do better.

A 2023 study by Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Ireland revealed that almost half of 18 to 34-year-olds do not dispose of batteries properly.

But the EU Batteries Regulation of 2023, which is a comprehensive new law that regulates the entire lifecycle of batteries, has led to a fresh initiative from WEEE Ireland.

As a result of this, over 1.5 million used batteries have been saved from landfill by Irish students.

This is thanks to a WEEE Ireland battery recycling competition, according to its spokesperson.

She said: "As new EU battery rules come into force, students across Ireland saved the equivalent of 1.5 million AA batteries from landfill.

"That is the weight of close to four school buses. One small school collected the equivalent of nearly 2,000 AA batteries per person.