The Federal Government has unveiled environmentally sound management of small-sized waste batteries aimed at  collecting finger- like batteries that often litter and pollute our environment causing harm to children and women in Nigeria.

This programme places dedicated, safety receptacles across the FCT, market squares, schools, offices, motor parks, etc. to ensure these small-sized batteries are safely collected at the source and treated in an environmentally-sound manner.

Speaking at the ceremony in Abuja, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal stated explicitly that the objective of the launch is to create awareness among stakeholders and the general public of the plan, adding, “today, we turn our gaze to another silent threat to the environment.”

Lawal added, “We recognized a critical gap in the battery collection system where recyclers were not collecting these batteries because they do not offer any economic value to them but we’ve created a centralized collection where they  are safely collected, stored and put into the recycling system in order to create economic value for them.”

He argued that when they  talk about waste batteries, our mind often jumps to the large lead-acid batteries found in our cars, and waste batteries are the “button cells” in your wristwatches, the AA and AAA alkaline batteries in your TV remotes, and the lithium-ion batteries powering  smartphones, toys, and portable torches.

The Minister explained, “These types are small enough to be forgotten in a drawer and light enough to be tossed into a regular dustbin. The size is deceptive. They are often carelessly handled or disposed of by the informal recyclers or unregulated sectors leading to environmental and health hazards.”

According to him, “People may not be aware that small-sized waste batteries contain heavy metals such as Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Lithium, etc. When they end up in the dumpsites or landfills, their casings corrode, emptying their contents, including heavy metals, which lead into our groundwater in the soil.”

“They enter the food chain, contaminating the water source and the food we eat; leading to irreversible neurological damage, stunted growth in children, kidney failure, respiratory diseases, cancer, and brain damage that leads to behavioral changes and in most cases death especially in children.”

He hinted that they’ve developed a National Policy on Waste Battery Management 2022,with Guidelines  to ensure environmentally-sound management of waste batteries, adding, this is  the implementation that the Ministry, in partnership with Alliance for Responsible Battery Recycling (ARBR), is embarking on the project.

“This project therefore ensures that these wastes small-sized batteries are managed properly, including collection and recycling in order to have a clean environment and achieve maximum economic benefits without jeopardizing the lives of the citizenry.”

Giving the overview   on behalf of the Alliance for Responsible Battery Recycling, ARBR,  Miranda Amechree noted that the initiative, represents a significant step in addressing a largely overlooked but growing environmental challenge – the management of small-sized battery waste in Nigeria.

Amechree also stated, “As Nigeria advances in technology adoption and energy access, small-sized batteries, including AA, button cells, and rechargeable household batteries, have become essential to daily life. However, at the end of their useful life, these batteries often enter general waste streams.”

“The National Environmental (Battery Control) Regulations (2024) is an instrument requires that batteries be not only produced and consumed responsibly but also properly recovered and managed at end-of-life in an Environmentally Sound Manner (ESM) to protect human health and the environment.”