Used Household Battery Collection Contest deadine is Friday

Greening Nipissing
News Release

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Greening Nipissing, in partnership with Greater Nipissing Stewardship Council and Nipissing Environmental Watch, have joined efforts to bring the final Used Household Battery Collection Contest for area high schools to a close on Friday, May 24, 2013.

Students have been collecting used household batteries throughout the school year in anticipation of the event. Students and volunteers will separate rechargeable batteries from non-rechargeable batteries that were collected at North Bay high schools.

Volunteers will weigh the batteries and then the batteries will be taken to the Household Hazardous Waste Depot on 112 Patton St., North Bay for recycling. The school that collects the greatest weight of batteries per student will win $400 out of $1,100 in total prize money for schools.

“This project is in its 11th year and we are proud of the results. Since 2002, the first year of the contest, 43,510 kg of batteries have been diverted from landfill”, said Vijanti Ramlogan Murphy, Executive Director of Greening Nipissing.

There are many companies and local businesses that collect used batteries from clients’ electronic devices and send them for proper disposal and recycling.

“The awareness created by this project has been incredible, and we hope that the public will recognize that there are still some harmful substances such as mercury in batteries that are not manufactured in North America”, said Ramlogan Murphy.

Unfortunately, this year will be the last year of the contest due to a reduction in grant funding. However, other organizations may want to take on this effective contest in the future.

For more information about the contest including past results and winners, please visit http://www.nipissingenvironmentalwatch.org/

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