‘We buy them, we use them, what do we do now?’: The new issues surrounding recycling

For many years Australians have been prompted to ensure that they are recycling all materials in the correct way, but what if all our efforts are going to waste?

That is the latest claim as its being revealed, with one of the nation’s biggest recycling plants, Ecocycle, accused of burning or dumping millions of batteries instead of recycling them.

Speaking with 3AW Mornings host Tom Elliott, Dr Trevor Thornton, lecturer at Deakin University in Hazardous Materials Management, said that the recycling of batteries can be a very good practice, but only if it is done correctly.

Press PLAY to hear the claims

“They are causing a lot of fires, a lot of contamination in landfills. What we’ve got to accept is if we’re using materials, we’ve also got to be able to recognise we have to pay for the recycling,” Thornton said.

Ecocycle have not confirmed these claims and have denied processing batteries at any of their facilities.

Image: iStock