As part of the scheme, Orbital has designed a custom case specifically for the safe storage and transit of used batteries. Tim Sherratt, technical director of Orbital, explained: "We are all prioritising environmental concerns and, after canvassing opinion within many theatres, felt the timing for this service was absolutely right. Recycling radio mic batteries might not seem too significant in the grand scheme of things but, if you extrapolate the average weekly consumption of a typical show across the whole UK theatre industry, it's a hell of a lot of batteries.
"A single musical equipped with 24 channels of radio mics can easily consume 200 - 400 plus batteries per week. We have focused on making the recycling process as easy as possible - for a nominal fee, clients get an empty recycling case, which they fill with their used batteries. Three to five weeks later, we collect it and leave them another empty case - it really is as simple as that. The used batteries are then stored at our facilities, pending their collection by Battery Back, one of the UK's largest battery recycling agents."
Sherratt continued: "There is some confusion in the industry about which battery types should be recycled. The facts are very simple - the legislation involves the safe storage, transport and disposal of all waste batteries, irrespective of their chemical composition, and all users are bound by this. Our established relationship with Battery Back ensures that waste batteries of all types are recycled in accordance with government regulations."
(Jim Evans)
