A national school battery collection campaign named ‘Battery buster competition’ was launched yesterday, managed by WasteServ Malta Ltd and sponsored and supported by FIMBank p.l.c.

The campaign is aimed at all primary and secondary school students, and takes the form of a competition encouraging them to dispose of batteries in the correct manner. Students who wish to take part in the ‘Battery Buster Competition’ need to collect batteries from April to May, placing them in specially designed recycled paper bags, on which they can write their contact details. They will then drop the battery bags in designated bins, also made from recycled materials located in their schools. At the end of the campaign WasteServ will take the batteries to an adequate disposal site overseas where they will be recycled and their dangerous chemicals neutralised. The more batteries students collect, the higher the chance of winning attractive prizes.

Additionally, a computer slide presentation competition is being organised, for all secondary schools students. This should entice entrants to learn more about the topic by researching information and creating a slide show about the harms that discharged batteries can cause to the environment. Students have a chance of winning a laptop per form. A character named Batterina as a robot champion of battery collection has been designed to represent the campaign and its message.

WasteServ Malta Ltd chairman, Architect Ben Farrugia explained that WasteServ believes in the education of youth on environmental issues. It is the key to better management of waste today and in the future.

Resources and rural affairs minister George Pullicino said that WasteServ has been using eco-contribution funds collected by the government to recover batteries from the general waste stream and export them for treatment. He added that since WasteServ was set up, more than 70,000kg of batteries were collected.

Fimbank p.l.c president Margrith Lutschg-Emmenegger said that Fimbank has benefited greatly from its operations in Malta and it wants to participate in similar initiatives to return something to the island.

Used batteries can pose many dangers to the environment and human health if not disposed of appropriately. Lead-acid battery components are toxic and corrosive and can also be a fire and explosive hazard. If disposed of in the environment, the outer casing corrodes and the toxic contents could leak out. The leakages contaminate the soils and percolate towards the depleting aquifer, contaminating Malta’s only natural source of drinking water.

Battery use is on the rise. It is calculated that an average person owns about two button batteries and 10 normal batteries and throws out about eight household batteries.

In Malta alone, more than three million batteries are discarded each year.

This widespread use of batteries has created various concerns on their impact on the environment through toxic pollution.