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  Today Online 19 May 07
It's safe to dispose of household batteries
Letter from Ong Seng Eng Director, Resource Conservation Department National Environment Agency

Straits Times Forum 9 May 07
Let's recycle batteries too
Letter from Brian Ho Tze Yew

I APPLAUD the recent success of the Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) campaign launched by the National Environmental Agency.

While there are a thousand and one things we can do for the environment, I would like to suggest recycling another commonly-used item: Batteries.

Batteries may cause a multitude of environmental and health problems, even more harmful than plastic bags. These include polluting aquifers as the heavy metals vaporise into the air when burned and exposing the environment to lead and strong corrosive acid.

These problems are not to be scoffed at, especially with the huge number of batteries used per year.

Moreover, with Singaporeans' (and the world) penchant for all things tech, the problems posed by batteries are real.

In 1996, the Battery Act was signed into US law to address two fundamental issues according to the Environmental Protection Agency: To phase out the use of mercury in batteries and to provide proper collection/recycling amenities for the disposal of batteries.

Last year, GP Batteries came down to my school, selling rechargeable batteries and giving away new batteries in exchange for old ones. I feel that this is a good effort on its part and I hope that this can be extended to the wider community, with battery-recycling bins in major supermarkets.

I hope that the NEA will consider my suggestions and perhaps work with battery manufacturers in the proper recycling of batteries.

Today Online 19 May 07
It's safe to dispose of household batteries
Letter from Ong Seng Eng Director, Resource Conservation Department National Environment Agency

We refer to the letter, "First plastic bags, next, recycled batteries" (May 11). We would like to thank your reader for supporting Bring Your Own Bag Day.

On the disposal of household batteries in Singapore, the main concern is the presence of heavy metals such as mercury in these batteries.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) addresses this at the source by controlling the quantity of mercury allowed in the batteries that are sold in Singapore. Since 1992, a limit of 0.001 per cent of mercury by weight is imposed on mercury-oxide batteries and zinc-carbon batteries. Similarly, a limit of 0.025 per cent by weight of mercury is imposed on alkaline batteries.

With this control in place, household batteries can be disposed of, together with other household waste, as normal refuse at our waste-to-energy incineration plants.

The plants are equipped with air pollution control equipment to remove pollutants and ensure the emissions meet stipulated standards.

The cost of collecting and recycling batteries is quite prohibitive, mainly because there are only a few battery recycling facilities worldwide and the cost of processing the batteries is very high.

Nevertheless, the NEA will continue to look out for viable recycling solutions for batteries. Please do not hesitate to call our hot line 1800-CALL NEA (1800-2255 632) if any clarification or assistance is needed.
links
WWF and rechargeable battery maker announce licensing partnership
WWF 22 Jun 06

Demand for rechargeable batteries doubles
By Farah Abdul Rahim/Ng Kee Kaur Channel NewsAsia, 19 Jun 05

Related articles in Singapore: reduce, reuse, recycle
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