KERBSIDE battery collections in Dorset are being reviewed – because of an increased risk of fire.

Old batteries are currently recycled using a pink plastic bag provided by Dorset Council with the spent batteries being picked up on regular collection days if left separately from rubbish and recycling.

With alkali-based, traditional, batteries the risk of problems has been small but an increase in the use of other batteries, such as rechargeables and Lithium, is said to have increased the risk of a spark being created.

Dorset Council’s place overview and scrutiny committee was told that staff are now looking at all aspects of continuing to collect batteries and, if it is to carry on the kerbside, to find ways to ensure safety.

One suggestion has been to switch the collection from the normal, large, waste vehicles to the smaller vehicles used to collect food waste and to use separate, airtight containers as well as increasing the publicity about which batteries can be recycled.

Committee members were told that staff at household recycling centres were finding that an increasing number of devices were now using a range of different batteries, which could often not be removed, making recycling difficult.