The Baa-ttery Campaign
Collect batteries, earn books, and inspire pupils to recycle for a greener future
Join Cumbria’s Baa-ttery Recycling Challenge
Helping schools across Cumbria recycle more batteries and win great prizes
Every year, an estimated 3.2 million batteries end up in Cumbria’s waste stream, the equivalent weight of 3,650 Herdwick sheep. The Baa-ttery Campaign aims to change that, helping pupils learn about Cumbria battery recycling while protecting the environment.
What is the Baa-ttery Campaign?
The Baa-ttery Campaign is a fun and educational battery recycling initiative for schools across Cumbria. Led by a friendly sheep mascot, the campaign teaches pupils why recycling batteries matters and how to do it safely.
Batteries should never be placed in household bins. When damaged, they can leak, explode, or cause fires. Recycling them correctly helps keep communities safe and allows valuable metals to be recovered and reused in new products.
How schools can take part
We’ve partnered with Biffa and Valpak Limited to make joining the campaign simple and free for schools.
- Get your free Baa-ttery Box -ADD the link to a box request form!
Every participating school receives a collection box for used household batteries - Encourage pupils to ‘herd’ their used batteries
Toys, remote controls, torches, vapes, clocks, gaming controllers , they all contain batteries that can be recycled - Fill your box and call for collection
When it’s full, call the number on the side. Your box will be collected free of charge and replaced with a new one so you can keep recycling
It’s a simple way to introduce sustainability and responsible waste habits in the classroom.
The Baa-ttery Recycling Competition
Schools across Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness can compete to collect the most batteries by Christmas.
Prizes available:
- 4 x £300 National Book Tokens
- 4 x £200 National Book Tokens
- 4 x £100 National Book Tokens
Prizes are generously provided by Cumberland Council and Westmorland & Furness Council.
The deadline to collect the most batteries is set for 13 February 2026 and the winners will be announced shortly after.
Help Cumbria recycle more batteries
By taking part, your school can:
- Reduce the number of batteries entering general waste
- Support safer waste handling across Cumbria
- Recover valuable materials for reuse
- Take part in a fun, educational challenge for pupils
- Win brilliant prizes for your school
Together, we can help Cumbria recycle more batteries and protect the environment.
To find your nearest battery recycling point, use our Recycling Bank Locator.
When batteries are collected, they are first sorted into different types of batteries such as alkaline, lithium, mercury and zinc amongst others. The separate types are recycled to extract the different materials and precious metals, which are then used to make new products, including new batteries. “The collection and recycling of batteries is important, as some of the materials within batteries are hazardous and can become a fire risk when not disposed of correctly. Valpak has supported the responsible management of waste batteries for a number of years through our free battery collection service, so it makes sense for us to partner with Biffa in Cumbria for this campaign.