In the province of Luxembourg, 3,840,466 used batteries waiting to be reused
With spring making its big comeback, Bebat is launching its annual collection campaign “On recherche” in Wallonia. This year again, all families will be encouraged, thanks to a campaign visible in urban areas, to return their used batteries to a Bebat collection point. With this initiative, the organizations want to emphasize the usefulness of adopting an adequate collection behavior, because even when batteries are used, they can still be recycled and even reused. This year, the campaign will run from April 11 to May 8.
Luxembourgers invited to flush out their used batteries
In Wallonia, a family has an average of 121 batteries in its household, of which an average of 31 are used. In Luxembourg alone, it is estimated that 3,840,466 used batteries can be recovered. The proportion of new batteries entering the market is growing, so these numbers are also increasing every year, providing opportunities for recycling.
Indeed, used batteries, which often consume dust in drawers, in old appliances or elsewhere in the house, still contain many rare raw materials such as cobalt, nickel and iron.
Although the Walloon is already a true fundraising champion, it is still important to maintain these good habits. In 2020, we were the European champions in battery collection and recycling with a total result of no less than 3,357 tonnes requested. To give this excitement to collect a boost, Bebat will launch a campaign between April 11 and May 8. With the new 2022 campaign “We are looking for”, Bebat wants to ask Walloon families again for help with a clear message: find your used batteries and bring them back to one of the 24,000 Bebat collection points!
Nele Peeters, Director Marketing, Operations & Innovation at Bebat: “With this campaign, we want to make consumers aware that with a small gesture, they can also contribute enormously to a better environment. We encourage everyone to look for forgotten batteries in storerooms, old appliances, or even places where you least expect them. We pledge each additional pile collected as a success. »
Battery collector to close material cycles
This year again, the battery management organization wants to take advantage of this momentum to eliminate the fact that the collection and recycling of batteries can contribute in a concrete way to closing the cycles of materials. Each pile collected may contain rare raw materials such as cobalt, nickel and iron, metals that are often mined under harsh conditions. Thanks to Bebat’s high-tech sorting center, all the batteries brought back can be recycled, and the raw materials thus released can be reused for other purposes. In this way, each battery collected contributes to the circular economy, and fewer raw materials have to be taken directly from nature.
The “On Recherche” campaign will run from April 11 to May 8, 2022 and will be visible in the streets of the major cities of Wallonia, on television, on the radio and on social media.