CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—To help protect the environment from indiscriminate disposal of sulfuric acid coming from old batteries, a power-generating company based in Misamis Oriental signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a recycling company and a non-governmental organization on Friday.
Steag State Power Inc. (SPI), Oriental Motolite Marketing Corp. (OMMC) and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) have agreed to support the “Balik Baterya” Program and, at the same time support the Learning Enhancement and Assistance Package (Leap) for the youth.
SPI, since its operation eight years ago, has accumulated 660 of used lead acid batteries, as well as scrapped uninterruptible power- supply batteries, in different sizes, and has donated them to OMMC.
In return, OMMC will peg a premium price to the used batteries and the proceeds will be given to the PBSP to support its Leap projects. The Leap has provisions of textbooks and workbooks, conduct of remedial reading, supplemental feeding, teachers’ training and some logistics like chairs and desks.
Carsten Evers, SPI plant manager, said the company has found competent partners in the disposal of the old batteries wherein the proceeds can also help in SPI’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) on education through PBSP.
“Old batteries must be handled with care since they are hazardous when carelessly disposed of. And it can be put to use when what’s inside are recycled and used for other applications,” Evers said.
He said that with PBSP’s projects in helping alleviate poverty in the country through education, with the old batteries, SPI in some way, is participating for the development of the next generation.
Ghaye Alegrio, SPI community-relations manager, said that SPI is heavily committed to the social upliftment, particularly in its host communities where various interventions have been made, and its ongoing educational programs have shown positive results.
Connie Deligero, OMMC CSR officer said that what her company is doing is to recycle old batteries and the materials inside are carefully sorted out and then manufactured into chairs for schools-helping meet the backlog of 5 million school chairs for the public schools in the country.
Deligero said that there are almost a million kilos of used batteries in the country that are not recycled properly and its hazardous elements are just thrown away indiscriminately. Its liquid content which is sulphuric acid is drained in canals and waterways and pollutes bodies of water.
Sufuric acid is corrosive on other materials, like metals, living tissues—skin and flesh, or even stones, can be mainly ascribed to its strong acidic nature.
Sulfuric acid at high concentration can cause very serious damage upon contact, as it not only causes chemical burns, but also secondary thermal burns. It burns the cornea and can lead to permanent blindness if splashed onto the eyes, thus safety precautions should be observed when handling it.