With a number of new battery-powered products launching in early 2024, and as part of its continued focus on sustainability, STIHL GB has issued a statement to remind dealers of its battery collection and electrical waste recycling programme.

The manufacturer says the process means that users " . . can discard end-of-life STIHL batteries in a safe and environmentally responsible manner."

The statement read, "As a producer of industrial and portable batteries, STIHL GB operates in accordance with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive, which ensures that, where possible, components are reused or recycled to minimise the amount of waste sent to landfill or incinerated. 

"For clarity, industrial batteries exceed 4 kg in weight and would include AR batteries and lead acid lawn tractor batteries, whilst portable batteries weigh less than 4 kg would include all other batteries."

The statement continued, "If the batteries are undamaged, users can simply return them to either the STIHL Approved Dealer they were purchased from or their local civic amenities site. As part of its service to its STIHL Approved Dealers, STIHL GB has partnered with the European Recycling Platform (ERP) to offer collection and recycling services. The ERP will collect used batteries directly from dealerships and STIHL dealers can find out more about this process on the STIHL B2B System."

The manufacturer also says that their machinery users can return batteries directly to STIHL GB for recycling. In order to do this, users should send an email to enquiries@stihl.co.uk with WEEE Recycling in the subject line, providing details of the machine and its serial number and a member of the STIHL team will respond confirming next steps.