Batteries should also be recycled

When you buy household batteries, you will notice that not only the packaging itself, but that every single battery clearly indicates that they should be recycled and not be thrown away after use.
The reason for this is that batteries contain a variety of extremely toxic chemicals, which cause soil and water pollution and ultimately cause damage to wildlife and humans. In spite of this, and unlike many other Western countries, the recycling of batteries seems to be a no-go in this part of the world.
Pick n Pay in Ballito once had a collection station for used batteries but, since the recycling company stopped accepting them, the box has long since been taken away.
After asking a few people what they do with their used batteries, the standard reply is that although they don’t feel good about it, they simply throw them away. Understandable – after all, what else can they do?
I realise that South Africa is a country with a lot of problems and that the recycling of batteries cannot be a top priority. Nonetheless, the problems the country is facing did not prevent South Africa from introducing some of the strictest non-smoking laws in the world. It seems to me that somewhere along the way priorities got mixed up. Why not do something that really counts and that will also benefit future generations.
MARKUS E KÄMPF
Simbithi