According to the latest figures, the new Batree battery collection scheme, has doubled the amount recovered for recycling in its first year when compared to previous schemes.

GreenPak has said in a statement that the scheme has successfully recovered 23,621kg of spent batteries since its inception in March last year and up to last February, compared to an average of between 6,000kg and 10,000kg in previous years.

The scheme, which is operated by GreenPak Cooperative and funded by the private industry for the collection of batteries, has replaced the previous government-run Batterina campaign.

GreenPak CEO Mario Schembri said that in Malta, an estimated two million portable batteries are imported each year. From mobile phones to laptops and other electronic devices, batteries have become an integral part of modern life.

By providing these battery collection services, it is avoiding huge amounts of batteries containing toxic and corrosive materials from being dumped together with other household waste. When batteries are not placed in the Batree bins, these could end up leaching chemicals into in the soil and eventually into the oceans.

Ing. Schembri said that, “although the figures for the first year of the Batree campaign were encouraging, there is still a long way to recover all the batteries entering the market.”

At the moment there are 326 collection points across Malta and Gozo and the bulk of the batteries collected came mainly from schools, outlets, and waste management facilities.

The list of collection points can be found on the GreenPak website here.

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