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We've recycled 18.4m batteries to date. Now help boost this year's total!
28,888
So far this year

FAQs

Looking for help?

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What is the Big Battery Hunt?
A nationwide battery recycling programme for schools funded by Duracell. Its aim is to increase the number of batteries currently being recycled in the UK. Pupils are challenged to collect as many batteries as they can, encouraging their communities to do the same.

Who is the Big Battery Hunt open to?
The initiative is currently aimed at Primary aged children and includes an activity booklet for Key Stage 2 pupils. But every school in the UK can take part.

How do I take part in the Big Battery Hunt?
Simply register your school here. Once registered you will have access to the classroom resources, including everything you need to kick off the challenge.

By joining the Big Battery Hunt, why am I registering to the National Schools Partnership?
The Big Battery Hunt is one of a series of programmes brought to you by the National Schools Partnership. Your Big Battery Hunt registration will also give you access to similar programmes that may be of relevance or interest that are run by the National Schools Partnership.

Who am I registering with for the Big Battery Hunt?
The National Schools Partnership operated and managed by We Are Futures who are a brand and social impact agency who create funded education and youth engagement programmes on behalf of companies, organisations and charities.

Is there a battery collection service?
If you have more than 3,000 batteries, for mainland U.K you can order a collection service from WasteCare by calling 0800 091 0000. If you have fewer than 3000 batteries, unfortunately, we are no longer able to offer a collection service, but you can find your nearest recycling point here and here for the UK and here for the Republic of Ireland.

Where do we take the batteries to be recycled?
Once collected, batteries are easy to recycle – simply take them to your nearest recycling point. Usually, this will be a supermarket, shop, or library. You can find your nearest recycling point here.

Who is responsible for taking the batteries to the recycling point?
You can either ask your class to bring their batteries to school for you to take them to the recycling point yourself. Or you can encourage your pupils, parents, and guardians to do this – just don’t forget to log the number of batteries they have collected!

What should we collect the batteries in? 
This year we’re encouraging young recyclers to have fun making their own containers for collecting used batteries. You can download our activity sheets showing pupils how to make and decorate them, and free stickers if you sign up early!

What if we have a large ‘school container’ from previous years? 
These can still be useful for collecting batteries in your school, but we’re no longer able to offer a collection service for fewer than 3,000 batteries. Please take any collected batteries to your nearest recycling point, which you can find here and here for the UK and here for the Republic of Ireland.

Can I keep collecting batteries using the school container after the Big Battery Hunt is finished? 
Yes! In fact, we really hope you do. Batteries take 100 years to decompose, so if you keep recycling them, it will go a long way to help the planet.

How do I win prizes with the Big Battery Hunt?

When you submit your battery count you will automatically be placed into the competition to win prizes.

One school will be declared the winner based on the highest average battery collection count per participating pupil. The runner-up will be declared as the school that collects the next highest average battery count per participating pupil.

The first place prize:

  • £3,500 towards school garden and outdoor equipment for the school
  • 1 x Nintendo Switch for the winning pupil, this is a pupil the winning teacher feels deserves it the most
  • 1 x Certificate for each participating pupil in the class
  • 1 x Trophy

The runner up prize:

  • £500 towards school garden and outdoor equipment for the school
  • 1 x Nintendo Switch for the winning pupil, this is a pupil the winning teacher feels deserves it the most
  • 1 x Certificate for each participating pupil in the class
  • 1 x Trophy

Keep telling us how many batteries you are recycling to see the community battery counter continue to increase.

What is a Battery Pioneer?
We love spotlighting pupils that really get behind the challenge! If one of your learners has gone the extra mile with their battery collecting, tell us their story, get them to take a photo of themselves at their local recycling point and upload it to the website here. They might just see themselves featured on our Pioneer Stories page.

How do I submit a Pioneer Story?
To submit your school or pupil’s story, make sure you’re logged in, then head to Pioneer Stories and click ‘Upload’. Attach an image, then upload a video or paste in your story. You will also be able to include information about your story to help categorise it.

What kind of stories are you looking for? 
We want to hear all about your amazing pupils and their recycling efforts. Tell us how many batteries they have recycled, share images of them in action at their local recycling point, send videos they have created. Maybe you’ve had a pupil succeed in involving their whole community? Perhaps you have an eco-group that has designed their own information board? Whatever the tale, we’d love to hear it. Try and include at least 100 words!

I can’t see my story? Where is it?
Don’t worry, our story won’t appear on the site straight away – it just needs to be approved by us first. After that, you and others in the community will be able to read all about it!

Can I submit multiple stories? 
Yes, we want to hear it all! Please send in new stories as often as you can.

Do I need to submit new stories every month to enter the ‘Pioneer of the Month’ competition? 
No, our winners are selected from all the stories on the website, not just from that month. Howeverm, the competition ran January-May 2024 and is now closed.

Do you need to be registered or logged in to upload stories?
Yes. Once logged in, you’ll be able to post stories for the Big Battery Hunt.

How do I submit my school’s battery count?
Make sure you’re logged in, head to the Leaderboard page and hit the green button to tell us how many batteries you have collected. You can do this more than once, but be sure to enter the total number of batteries collected each time.

For example, if you’ve already told us that you have collected 20 batteries, but now you have 50 more to report, you should submit a total number of 70 batteries collected.

What is the live battery counter?
This number is calculated by teachers telling us how many batteries they have collected. It will continue to grow as we hear about more and more batteries being collected.

Do you I need to be registered or logged in to submit my battery count?
Yes, you do. Please log in when prompted.

Is there a page?
Yes! You can view it here www.facebook.com/bigbatteryhunt Please share this page with your colleagues and friends to help us recycle as many batteries as possible.

Can I contribute to the Facebook page?
Absolutely, we want to hear from you as often as possible. Tell us your views, ask questions and let us know how you’re getting on. Share the page with your friends and let them know about the Big Battery Hunt too!

Are there free resources for the Big Battery Hunt?
Yes! You can download all the resources from the Resourcespage of this website. You need to be registered to the Big Battery Hunt to be able to access these, so register here if you’re not already registered.

I can’t see the resources – where are they?
Resources are only available to our registered teachers. You can register or login here.
Once you’re registered and logged in, you will see the Resources button at the top of the webpage.

How do I contact someone to discuss a question I have about the Big Battery Hunt?
If you have a question about the Big Battery Hunt, you can email us at bigbatteryhunt@nationalschoolspartnership.com. We look forward to hearing from you.