Gaborone 03 June 2021, The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism recently launched waste recovery pilot project in the government enclave, Gaborone. The event was part of the activities held to mark commemoration of World Environment Day which was held on the 5th of June 2021.
When giving keynote on the occasion to launch the waste recovery project in the government enclave the minister Of Environment, Natural Resource Conservation and Tourism Honorable Philda Kereng said the project is expected to create employment and develop a strong waste recycling industry in Botswana.
Minister Kereng alluded that currently the waste recovery initiatives in Botswana are limited to production of waste paper, bottles, plastics, scrap metal recovery and transportation of the same to neighbouring countries where there are waste recycling plants hence creating jobs in those countries. She said Botswana needed a deliberate policy initiative to empower other citizens to derive benefits from the waste sector.
Kereng also appealed to the private sector to come on board and actively participate in the waste recovery and recycling initiatives. She concluded by highlighting that the success of this pilot project will lead to the rollout to other institutions in our districts, towns and cities to make this a national programme.
The Programme Specialist-Environment and Climate Change, Ms Chimbidzani Bratonozic said that the UNDP is happy to support the promotion of waste to be used as a
The project has been designed with the primary objective of supporting the Government of Botswana with the implementation of the SDGs, the SDGs Roadmap and other
The 2020 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) data and publication "Charting pathways out of multidimensional poverty: Achieving the SDGs" released on 16
By Tiana Cline Lead poisoning is an issue in Africa where lead-acid batteries reign supreme, powering cars and generators, providing solar power storage, and even backup for cell towers during rolling blackouts. But here''s How one company is transforming resources to power a more connected, sustainable world. African children have died from lead poisoning. In […]
Lead poisoning is an issue in Africa where lead-acid batteries reign supreme, powering cars and generators, providing solar power storage, and even backup for cell towers during rolling blackouts. But here''s How one company is transforming resources to power a more connected, sustainable world.
African children have died from lead poisoning. In countries like Botswana, Zambia, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya and Tanzania, blood lead levels is not only unusually high – they''re increasing, according to a report in the Lancet Planetary Health journal. Exposure to lead, a potent neurotoxin, is known to affect the brain resulting in disability (if not death). The World Health Organization states that children are more at risk because high lead exposure damages the brain before it has had a chance to fully develop so one has to ask: where is all this lead coming from?
"Batteries are everywhere," says Jamie Lee, Ecobat''s Chief Information Officer. "You don''t think about it until you think about recycling. In the transportation and energy sector, 19 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from road transportation. If batteries could be recycled better, it would mean less transport and you''re actually making an impact."
When lead acid batteries aren''t recycled properly, acid and lead dust enters the soil. The process emits toxic fumes that permeate the air with poison and the workers return home with hazardous dust on their clothing.
"In addition to this, there are certain countries that use child labor to break open batteries and get those materials out which are then sold to the open market," adds Lee. "We need to configure our supply chain in a way that we can get that battery supply into our hands for recycling. Then when the materials are put out, they go back into the hands of the manufacturers to take over and the result is less mining."
Lee says that while many people believe paper, plastic and glass are the most recycled materials globally, lithium-ion batteries come in second and lead sits at the top of the pyramid.
"The most recycled material worldwide is lead;130 million batteries come through the recycling process," he adds. "There''s enough lead in the recycling process to not mine for new materials."
But that''s only when lead-acid batteries are regenerated or refurbished safely – something Ecobat does around the world because lead poisoning isn''t simply an African issue. A new study out of UNICEF found that around 800 million children are exposed to lead annually and the numbers in South Asia are higher than anywhere else.
"We are in a unique position globally as the largest battery recycler. Ecobat''s true impact is its value – if we didn''t exist there would be landfills of batteries," he says. Recycling batteries is complicated – there''s a chain of over five different work centers to open each battery up, draw chemistries out of it and melt it down before refining the materials and shipping them off. From a safety perspective, there also has to be specialized breathing apparatus in place to ensure the recycling plant meets regulatory standards.
As battery technology evolves, Ecobat also have had to adapt the way batteries are collected and stored as well as enhance their technical capabilities in the cloud.
"We are in the business of making batteries safe and sustainable which means we need to apply technology and safety. Batteries are not going away – they''re only going up in consumption," says Lee, adding that the battery market size is expected to grow exponentially by 2030. "That means more and more batteries as well as different types of batteries – we''re chasing technology that''s evolving."
Lithium-ion batteries, for example, contain 20 different chemistries. Every material inside a battery requires specialization that goes into Ecobat''s engineering in order to maximize sustainability.
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As the photovoltaic (PV) industry continues to evolve, advancements in Botswana battery recycling have become critical to optimizing the utilization of renewable energy sources. From innovative battery technologies to intelligent energy management systems, these solutions are transforming the way we store and distribute solar-generated electricity.
When you're looking for the latest and most efficient Botswana battery recycling for your PV project, our website offers a comprehensive selection of cutting-edge products designed to meet your specific requirements. Whether you're a renewable energy developer, utility company, or commercial enterprise looking to reduce your carbon footprint, we have the solutions to help you harness the full potential of solar energy.
By interacting with our online customer service, you'll gain a deep understanding of the various Botswana battery recycling featured in our extensive catalog, such as high-efficiency storage batteries and intelligent energy management systems, and how they work together to provide a stable and reliable power supply for your PV projects.
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