Residents can now dispose of their batteries in transparent containers set up inside City Hall, the Westmount Public Library, Victoria Hall, the Hydro Westmount office on Glen Road and the Public Works office. These are in addition to the existing battery boxes at the Public Works yard and the fire station on Stanton Street.
"The City's efforts to recover and recycle batteries date back to the early 1990s with the first household hazardous waste collections, the installation of the first battery depots and the orange battery bag project," stated city councillor Theodora Samiotis, who is also Westmount's environment commissioner. "Adding more containers in these high-traffic areas will bring Westmount's battery recovery programme to another level, and reduce toxic waste in landfills."
According to the city of Westmount, although batteries represent less than 1 percent of garbage by weight, they are responsible for up to 70 percent of the heavy metals found in landfills. This includes lead, cadmium and mercury, which eventually leach into ground water and contaminate the soil. It is estimated that Canadians purchase more than 550 million batteries every year, while only about 35 percent of them get recycled.
All dry-cell batteries are accepted in the depots, including alkaline, lithium-ion, nickel-metal-hydride, nickel-cadmium, and others, whether single-use or rechargeable. Once collected, they are processed to make metal beams and other recycled products.
Lead-acid batteries, used in cars, motorcycles and boats, require a different treatment and may be dropped off at Westmount's household hazardous waste collection days in the spring and in the fall, at a Montreal Eco Centre year-round, or at a commercial garage. Dry-cell batteries will continue to be accepted at the bi-annual hazardous waste collection.
For more information about battery recycling, consult www.westmount.org
