Comments on: Excuse me, but…

By: E-Nyce

E-Nyce — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 01:04:50 +0000

In the US, collection and recycling is not a govt function, nor is it a corporate function. The govt does require that batteries be recycled, not just trashed, but how are they supposed to oversee this? Answer: They don’t.

Although they don’t actively advertise that they do it, Radio Shack and some electronic shops have agreed to collect batteries from consumers. They don’t make any money for doing this, doing it only as a good service.

What I don’t know is what happens to the batteries after that. I suppose some third-party comes around to do a bulk collection. Then what?

How is battery recycling work in Germany?

By: kikuyumoja

kikuyumoja — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:34:30 +0000

Well, yeah, is it really a government job? I was thinking about a private company that collects and recycles these.

By: E-Nyce

E-Nyce — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 21:31:11 +0000

“The battery recycling for cash sounds like a good idea, now the bigger question comes in, how do we implement it?”

Return them like soda bottles – the deposit is given back to you on return.

Where to return them to? Petrol stations. Less likely, some of the major/larger stores.

Who picks them up? Battery recycling is a government function, so one a (month?) an agency has to go around a region, pickup a load, and return to– where?

Considering that trash is not regularly picked up even in Nairobi, you can see where the weakest link is…

By: Aegeus

Aegeus — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 13:05:25 +0000

Good point there. “..why should we inform experts if instead the wananchi should be addressed.”

The battery recycling for cash sounds like a good idea, now the bigger question comes in, how do we implement it?

By: Gathunuku

Gathunuku — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 21:20:13 +0000

It's an industry! BP/Shell are not going to be part of an attempt to outlaw the internal combustion engine just as much as these guys are never going to actually fix or help fix the problem.

By: Girl Next Door

Girl Next Door — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 20:32:43 +0000

Very well said! Conferences, exhibits, and workshops are usually full of excellent ideas, resources, experts, etc. But until all that can be channelled to the people who need it and produce tangible results, it means nothing. Too much bureacracy and image and not enough local/grassroots involvement. There’s this great book called “Sex Lives of Cannibals” which talks about this same issue– though it’s hard to guess from the title!