Batteries and Electrical Recycling

Batteries and electrical toys must not go in your household bin. Both contain materials that are recoverable and that cause harm in landfill, and both are covered by regulations that put part of the responsibility on us as the retailer.

Waste batteries

Under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, retailers who supply more than 32kg of portable batteries a year must take back waste portable batteries free of charge. That is about 1,200 AA batteries, and a shop selling battery toys and ride-ons passes it comfortably.

Toytastic takes waste batteries back free of charge, and you do not have to have bought them from us. Contact us and we will tell you the nearest way to return them.

You can also return waste batteries to any shop that sells them in quantity, and to your local household waste recycling centre. Please do not put them in the bin: damaged lithium batteries start fires in bin lorries and at sorting sites.

Old electrical toys

The crossed-out wheeled bin symbol on a product or its packaging means it must not be thrown away with household waste. It applies to electric scooters and ride-ons, remote control vehicles, electronic learning toys and anything else with a plug or a battery.

Under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013, retailers must help customers dispose of old electricals, and Toytastic does. If you are buying a new electrical toy and want to dispose of the one it replaces, contact us before or after ordering and we will arrange it.

Your local authority also runs household waste recycling centres that accept electricals free of charge. Search for your postcode on your council's website to find the nearest.

Batteries in the toys we sell

Where a toy contains a rechargeable battery pack, please do not attempt to remove it yourself unless the instructions say it is designed to be removed. Take the whole item to a recycling centre and tell them it contains a battery.

Never charge a damaged, swollen or punctured battery, and use only the charger supplied with the product.