The question of whether dry cell batteries belong to other waste or hazardous waste has confused two former mayors of Guangzhou! Mayor Chen Jianhua pointed out a minor discrepancy yesterday morning after attending the premiere of the public service environmental micro-film "Habit * Love" on waste sorting: "Batteries are hazardous waste, not other waste. I hope the film will correct this." The producers stated that according to Guangzhou's current waste sorting regulations, dry cell batteries belong to other waste, while rechargeable batteries and button batteries are classified as hazardous waste. According to reports from the Southern Metropolis Daily, as early as 2009, then-mayor Zhang Guangning also made this mistake.
The short film "Habit * Love" tells the story of a family in Guangzhou. The husband's bad habits trigger a domestic war, and the wife's departure inspires the husband to undergo a transformation. In this process, the children become his "teachers" in "taking out the trash."
"The practice of garbage sorting has proven that it is impossible to achieve without the participation of the whole society and every individual. We strive to ensure that 80% of communities can participate in promoting garbage sorting by the end of this year." Chen Jianhua continued to promote garbage sorting even after the premiere. Then he changed the subject, "There is a small discrepancy. Batteries are not other waste, but hazardous waste. I hope the film will be corrected." It turns out that in the short film, there was a scene where a child, while instructing his father on garbage sorting, held up a size D battery and claimed it was "other waste."
The producers of the short film "Habit*Love" later explained that the film categorized disposable batteries as other waste based on Guangzhou's household waste classification guidelines. These guidelines are based on the 2004 national policy on environmental pollution from waste batteries, which discourages the centralized recycling of low-mercury and mercury-free disposable batteries. Therefore, Guangzhou currently only classifies rechargeable batteries and button batteries as hazardous waste. A relevant official from the Guangzhou Municipal Urban Management Commission confirmed this statement.
In fact, in April 2009, then-Mayor Zhang Guangning, during an inspection of a garbage recycling demonstration site in Liwan District, instructed that the recycling of used batteries should be improved. Lu Zhiyi, then director of the Guangzhou Municipal Environmental Sanitation Bureau, explained that residents could already mix used batteries with their household waste. "Don't used batteries need to be recycled anymore?" Mayor Zhang asked, somewhat puzzled.
Prominent environmentalist "Basso Wind" suggests stricter standards for hazardous waste. Currently, the government collects and disposes of all batteries as hazardous waste, regardless of type. "Operationally, it's difficult for citizens to determine whether a battery is disposable or rechargeable before throwing it away. Furthermore, disposable dry-cell batteries are difficult to burn and bury, so I don't recommend treating them as other waste," Basso Wind argues. He recommends classifying disposable dry-cell batteries as hazardous waste and having the government introduce subsidies for recycling and disposal to attract businesses.
