NAL regional battery collection
News from Niagara, Ontario’s Regional Government
(A Brief Foreword by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – Some 25 years ago, while I was working, fulltime, as an environment reporter for the then-independent, locally owned St. Catharines Standard in Niagara, Ontario, the newspaper sent me to Gernany.
Germany, at that time was one of the most progressive countries in the world when it came to recycling or using waste that would normally go in to a garbage dump or be disposed of in some other way that can potentially contaminate the environment.
One of the things I recall, and this was back in the late 1980s, is that Germany was already encouraging its citizens to separate batteries from their regular garbage so that batteries, which often do contain materials can be toxic t the surrounding environment, so that those materials could be recycled or contained or destroyed in ways that are safer than dumping them in a hole in the ground – however well lined or “contained” that hole may be.
So it is good to see Niagara’s regional government finally launching a special collection week for batteries, even with the batteries it will not accept, with an aim to seeing their contents recycled or disposed of more safely, and let’s hope the public participation in this effort is high and that it becomes a regular practice.)
NIAGARA REGION, March 18, 2014 – Residents across Niagara are being asked to bring their batteries to the curb for a special one-week collection this spring.
Residents of single-family homes and apartments with up to six units will be able to place their used or unwanted batteries at the curb on their regular collection day the week of March 31 – April 4.
This special, one-week-only collection gives residents in all Niagara municipalities the opportunity to conveniently keep used and unwanted batteries out of our landfills, without having to take them to a drop-off location.
“Keeping batteries out of our landfills is something we can all do to preserve our environment, and we’re making it even easier for our residents to do their part” said Regional Chair Gary Burroughs. “Taking your batteries to the curb might be a small action, but together, we can make a big difference.”
Residents are asked to place undamaged acceptable batteries in a sealed, clear plastic bag beside their Blue or Grey Box on their normal garbage/recycling collection day the week of March 31-April 4. For safety reasons, please use masking tape to cover both ends of button cell batteries and the terminals of 6- and 9-volt batteries.
Acceptable batteries:
Standard A, AA, AAA, C, D batteries (both alkaline and heavy duty)
6-volt batteries (often used in lanterns)
9-volt batteries (often used in smoke detectors)
Button-cell batteries (watches, toys, calculators, electronics)
NiCad, NiMH and Lithium-ion rechargeable battery packs (cell phones, laptops)
Batteries not accepted:
Car batteries
Lithium batteries
Industrial batteries
Leaking batteries
For more information on preparing your batteries, visit http://www.niagararegion.ca or call the Waste Info Line at 905-356-4141 or 1-800-594-5542.
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