Environmentalists say despite ongoing war, more Ukrainians are recycling batteries

More and more Ukrainians began to properly dispose of batteries, despite undergoing a war of Russian aggression.

Rubryka reports, citing the Batteries Surrender NGO.

What is the problem?

Back in March 2020, volunteers of the Batteries Surrender initiative sent a batch of used batteries for recycling to Romania for the first time in the country's history.

Previously, collected batteries in Ukraine were stored in warehouses or went to pseudo-recyclers, who threw them into landfills. An ordinary finger battery becomes a dangerous waste when it exhausts its resource. If it gets into the ground, the toxic substances inside it pollute up to 16 square meters of land. The initiative team says the toxins then enter edible products through water and soil.

To avoid this, batteries must be processed in a special way. Unfortunately, no single plant or enterprise in Ukraine would be engaged in such processing.

What is the solution?

According to the organization's report, the pace of collecting batteries in Ukraine has returned to the indicators recorded before the full-scale invasion.

How does it work?

Eco-activists report that, in total, in the first half of 2023, the collection points of the network collected 60 tons of batteries, which can be used to fill three trucks.

"Even though several million residents of Ukraine went abroad, the rate of collecting batteries equaled the same period in 2021. This means that more people began to hand in batteries correctly," the "Batteries" team said.

Despite this, more than 90% of all batteries in Ukraine are still thrown into the ground, causing damage to the environment. Batteries Surrender's 1,212 battery collection points operate in Ukraine, particularly in Silpo, Epicentr, Novus, Jysk, Comfy, Leroy Merlin stores, and KLO and WOG gas stations. All points can be found on the map at this link.

Rubryka reported that Ukraine's western city of Novovolynsk launched the ecological action "Dispose of batteries and clean Ukraine," during which almost 250 kg of batteries were collected on the first day alone.

As Rubryka reported, the Ecostyle company, which is engaged in removing garbage, started a project to collect used batteries in Kropyvnytskyi. For this purpose, 14 appropriate containers were installed in the city.