Over a hundred containers for collecting used batteries have been installed in stores in the Vitebsk region

March 29, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Over a hundred containers for collecting used batteries have been installed in stores in the Vitebsk region, Maria Oleneva, chief specialist of the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, told a BELTA correspondent. A collection system for all types of batteries is being created in accordance with the state program for the collection (procurement) and processing of secondary raw materials for 2009-2015. Containers are installed at enterprises that sell power sources to the public. For example, in Vitebsk, such containers have been installed in 9 large stores, and in Orsha - in five. In Polotsk and Novopolotsk, used batteries can be sent for disposal at 14 retail outlets. In district centers, containers are usually installed in department stores, "Promtovary" (consumer goods) stores, and "Kulttovary" (cultural goods) stores. After the containers are filled, the batteries will be transferred to "Belresursy" for neutralization and disposal. The regional committee for natural resources has launched an active educational campaign among the public, aimed at the proper collection and disposal of power sources. As Maria Oleneva explained, used batteries eventually turn into toxic waste, as they contain heavy metals: lead, cadmium, nickel, and zinc. One AA battery, if it gets into the environment, can contaminate 1 cubic meter of soil or 400 liters of water. A total of 603 containers for collecting used batteries are planned to be installed in Belarus this year. -0-