Motolite, the country’s most-trusted battery brand, and the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) signed an agreement to help protect the environment through proper disposal and recycling of used lead acid batteries (ULAB).
In the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by Motolite and FPI on April 19, the parties committed to work together in the promotion and implementation of the BALIK BATERYA PROGRAM in order to further clean up the environment of pollution-causing ULABs while also raising funds for FPI’s projects and advocacies.
The MOA was signed by FPI Chairman Dr. Jesus L. Arranza and Oriental & Motolite Marketing Corporation (OMMC) Marketing Head Alexander M. Osias.
Under the agreement, FPI will promote the Balik BateryaProgram to its members and other interested organizations, as well as sell the collected ULABs from its members and partner-organizations to OMMC for recycling based on the prevailing market buying price.
Motolite, on the other hand, will provide and/or arrange for the pick-up of ULABs from FPI and/or its donors, then promptly remit to FPI the cash value of the collected ULABs.
The company will also take care of the storage, handling, transport, and recycling of the ULAB through its accredited recycler, Evergreen Environmental Resources Inc. (EERI).
EERI operates a state-of-the-art battery-recycling facility in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. It has the capacity to recycle 10 million batteries annually and recover for reprocessing into commercial use anew around 99 percent of the components.
With EERI serving as the third-party recycler of market leader Motolite and its manufacturer Philippine Batteries Inc. (PBI), the country is assured of a sustainable source of lead-acid batteries via the so-called “urban mining”.
Arranza said Motolite and FPI, through their Balik Bateryapartnership, seek to ensure used car batteries are not ending up in landfills or rivers and creeks, particularly since ULABs are considered hazardous wastes.
Motolite has also been actively encouraging its customers to trade in their ULABs for a discount when they buy new batteries. Motolite brings all these used batteries to EERI for recycling.
The lead, plastic pellets, and other recycled materials produced by EERI are then channeled back to the production facility of PBI in Sta. Maria, Bulacan.
EERI, certified by the Board of Investments as a pioneer in technology in the Philippines, continues to invest a lot in equipment upgrades and R&D to make sure the facility is constantly improving its recycling methods and adhering to international standards.
Aside from hurdling the stringent requirements of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, EERI has also received the ISO certifications as well.
Meantime, the FPI has called on concerned government agencies to stop the illegal export of lead scraps usually obtained from ULABs pursuant to local regulations and the country's commitment to the Basel Convention.
Arranza cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that a sizeable amount of lead scraps that are considered hazardous waste have been exiting the country annually.
This is despite the expressed prohibition of such export under Republic Act (RA) 6969 or the “Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990” and its implementing rules outlined in Department Administrative Order (DAO) 2013-22 of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The export of scrap lead, Arranza said, also goes against the Philippines’ commitment to the Basel Convention.
“As a matter of policy, export of hazardous wastes like lead scrap and ULAB is not allowed when the country of origin has the capability to recycle them. In the case of lead scrap and ULAB, we have Evergreen Environmental Resources Inc. (EERI), which operates state-of-the-art recycling facilities for ULABs in Bulacan,” Arranza said.
This, Arranza added, is why they found it alarming that the PSA has actual data on lead scrap exports, which indicates that such shipments actually went through official channels.
Data from the PSA showed that around 8,500 tons of lead waste and scrap were exported by the Philippines from January to August last year.
But Arranza said that according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Trade and Industry, there is also no record if these exported lead scraps are in the form of ULABs or were merely separated from used auto batteries.
But since scrap lead is mostly obtained from ULABs, Arranza said this means that these illegal exporters managed to get their hands on a big volume of old batteries.