Stop, drop and recycle: New battery recycling program rolls out to Maitland schools

Maitland City Council is calling on local primary and secondary schools to enrol in a new household battery recycling program following a successful trial in 2024.  

The POWER UP battery recycling program was trialled across 14 schools in the Maitland local government area in 2024, resulting in more than 175kg of household batteries being spared from a lifetime in landfill.  

Students and staff at participating schools are provided with a 10L battery collection tube and a suite of educational material that teaches safe battery disposal practices.  

When at capacity, each tube is emptied by Maitland City Council staff, so that the spent batteries can be safely and appropriately recycled.  

Maitland Mayor Philip Penfold said the program encouraged local school children to “rethink the way they dispose of batteries.” 

“It’s important to never bin a battery,” Mayor Penfold said. “Binning a battery can lead to big trouble for our waste truck operators, where a single spark could start a serious fire.” 

“By making it easy to drop used batteries into the POWER UP collection tube, we’re not just mitigating the risk of a waste truck fire, we’re keeping harmful, sometimes toxic waste out of landfill.” 

Participating schools in the POWER UP program are pitted against one another, with the gauntlet thrown down during last year’s trial by St John the Baptist Primary School in Maitland, who collected 45kg of used batteries during term two. 

One returning participant is Morpeth Primary School and the school’s principal, Peter Edmonds, said the POWER UP program “supported teaching around sustainability and recycling.” 

“Our responsibility is to develop our students and their skills around making responsible decisions, and this initiative complements the learning they do in the classroom,” Principal Edmonds said. “It’s well supported by our students and their families.” 

Schools interested in participating in the program can visit mait.city/POWERUP to find out more.