Waste batteries must be recycled! Since dry cell batteries contain heavy metals, if they are discarded in the environment, it will result in biological harm and environmental pollution. Environmental Protection Bureau of Taichung City Government appeals to the public about the 3 critical aspects of using dry cell batteries “Identify the mark on the battery before purchasing”, “Use up all remaining power” and “Recycle used battery”. The public is urged to recycle used dry cell batteries in order to prevent environmental pollution.
Many objects in life are powered by dry cell batteries, including watch, cell phone, electric swatter, remote controller, flashlight and toy etc. Since dry cell batteries contain heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury, they must be recycled appropriately. The Environmental Protection Bureau reminds the public that there are over 3,000 battery recycle locations throughout Taichung City, thus all used batteries should be handed over to the garbage recycling truck or other recycle locations including wholesalers, supermarkets convenience store chains, pharmacy chains, cell phone stores and photography equipment stores in order to prevent environmental pollution.
If heavy metals contained within dry cells (mercury and cadmium) are released into the environment, it will result in biological harm and environmental pollution. Mercury causes damages to the nervous system, bran and kidney, while cadmium harms the liver, stimulates the gastrointestinal tract and induces vomiting, diarrhea and osteoporosis. If allowed to accumulate, the heavy metals will cause kidney diseases, thus in order to prevent heavy metals in dry cell batteries from harming people’s health and the environment, the law stipulates that dry cell battery (including button cell) manufacturers and importers must pass heavy metal inspection and obtain approval from local environmental protection bureau before the batteries can be produced or imported. Moreover, they are required to display the battery’s confirmation document number and recycling symbol clearly on at the display shelf or on the packaging.
The Environmental Protection Bureau once again appeals to the public to double check the battery’s confirmation document number and recycling symbol before making purchase. Batteries with diminished capacity can be used in electronic products with lower power consumption such as clocks or remote controllers, and depleted batteries should be disposed of properly by handing them over to the garbage recycling truck or other recycle locations including wholesalers, supermarkets convenience store chains, pharmacy chains, cell phone stores and photography equipment stores. Batteries must be kept away from water source and moisture, do not dispose of batteries as normal garbage or discard them in the environment at will to prevent contaminant from leaking and polluting the environment.