Did anyone catch the investigation of throw-away batteries on CBC Marketplace (aired on Halloween)? It really skewered the harried director of the rechargeable battery recycling program (did YOU know there was a rechargeable battery recycling program?) but the entire industry that produces the half-billion batteries sold in Canada each year didn't escape derision. You can watch the segment here. The only puzzling moment was at the end when they offered viewers advice on what to do about the battery problem. "Contact your municipality!" they said ~ but the Mayor of Port Perry had been saying all through the show that the producers should provide convenient service, say, through stores...
For another great riff on battery waste see the brilliant photo work of Chris Jordan.
2 comments:
It should be the manufacturer's responsibility (and by extension, the retailers) to ensure that its products are able to be properly disposed of (or better...recycled). Batteries are no exception.
What I would like to see is that every shop that sells batteries also collects used ones that will be periodically grabbed by the manufacturer when the shop is restocked.
Of course, this will mean added costs for the consumer, but the cost of disposal is something that the consumer should have been paying for all along.
Love the refence to Chris Jordon..we are such a throwaway society!
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