Saving the environment in DF "one battery at a time"

The next time you see one of the tourist information and guide columns along the street in Mexico City, take a closer look. There may be more to it than meets the eye.

Image:Luz Montero

The Mexico City government’s program "Manejo Responsable de Pilas" (Responsible Management of Batteries), which was launched in February of this year, has adapted many of these columns to serve as containers where people can deposit their used batteries for recycling.

“We realized that the publicity posts in the city could be adapted to be used as containers rather than just for commercials,” Rosalynn Herrera, coordinator of communication and training at the Department of Environmental Education in Mexico City, told Inside México in an interview. “And that this would give people in the city a viable option for recycling at least one type of waste.”

According to information distributed by the Department for Environmental Education, the principal components contained in batteries -- mercury, cadmium, nickel and magnesium -- are considered to be toxic because of the harmful effects they can have both on the environment and on people’s health.

If exposed to the elements, batteries oxidize and produce liquids and gases that contaminate water, earth and air. The same thing happens when they are incinerated. For example, 11 button batteries, such as those that are used in watches, can contaminate up to 6.5 million litres of water.

There are currently some 151 of these containers in place in the Delegaciones of Coyoacan, Cuauhtemoc, Miguel Hidalgo and Benito Juarez. And about 130 more are scheduled to be in place in the next month.

“Since the program started in February almost 2.9 tons of batteries have been deposited, and the amount is increasing month on month,” Ms. Herrera said. “We now have people calling up to ask where their nearest container is and others asking why their municipality is not part of the program yet.”

People are asked to cover the batteries’ poles (the ends) with masking tape before depositing them in the containers to make sure they are isolated and to avoid leaks.

Each container, which has a capacity for five kilograms of batteries, is emptied every 72 hours by Imagenes y Muebles Urbanos, the company running the program. They also make sure the containers are not vandalized or covered in graffiti.

When they are emptied, the battery waste is initially taken to a storage center in Naucalpan. From there they are transported to a plant in Irapuato, Guanajuato for the actual recycling process. There, the batteries are separated and broken down into their various parts and 100% of the material is used in the recycling process.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have the resources to conduct a huge, glossy campaign with TV commercials like a company such as Coca-Cola might be able to do.”

“[But] the program is being promoted through information posted on the containers and on bus stops, and information postcards are being distributed to cafes, restaurants and bookshops, plus we have also put out a few information spots and interviews on the radio,” Ms Herrera said.