JEDDAH, 24 August 2006 — With the dumping of automobile batteries in the desert and thus causing an environmental problem for people, an initiative has been taken to help correct the situation. The effort initiated a year ago is now reaping dividends environmentally, according to companies that are involved in recycling batteries.
About 5.5 million car batteries are sold across Saudi Arabia annually. This figure is estimated to increase significantly over the next few years as vehicle sales continue to rise.
One of the companies to launch its new battery recycling program earlier this year is MEBCO which said yesterday that the initiative has seen the introduction of a partnership-based plan with battery distributors throughout the Kingdom that enables ACDelco maintenance free batteries to be disposed of in a controlled and environmentally safe way.
“The initiative is working well and we’ve seen great progress in the first few months, with an estimated 25,000 batteries recycled so far. Everybody wins ... the battery distributor gets paid for collecting the used batteries, RASSAS, MEBCO’s supplier of lead, is assured of a regular supply of recycled lead at a competitive price and less and less batteries are dumped in the desert,” John Grant, MEBCO’s sales & marketing manager, said.
“But, ultimately, it’s the environment that’s the winner and we’re so pleased with how things have gone so far that we’re now looking at extending the program to the UAE and Kuwait,” he added.
A year ago, MEBCO’s maintenance free batteries were up by 20 percent to 1.5 million units. In the first quarter of this year alone, the company sold 600,000 batteries across the Middle East, reflecting a 36 percent increase in sales. Its market share region-wide is claimed to stand at 34 percent.
In addition to helping distributors clear their inventories of scrap batteries containing potentially hazardous materials, the program has also streamlined the recycling process and ensured that the environmental impact of battery disposal is correctly managed.
Prompted by requests from ACDelco battery distributors, the recycling program has been arranged through smelter RASASS, who collects scrap batteries from distributors on a monthly basis and ensures that they are disposed of in an efficient and environmentally-sound manner.
“ACDelco batteries are engineered to withstand the harsh climate of the Middle East and are the largest selling brand in the region,” Grant said. “However, if they are not disposed of responsibly, it could lead to their components being released into the environment with disastrous long-term effects.
Youssef Al Dossary, owner of ACDelco battery distributor Yousef Ahmed Rashid Al Dossary and Bros Co, who has been a major supporter of the recycling initiative, said: “We’re a part of the community in which we operate ACDelco battery distributor, so we consider it to be extremely important to be involved in the disposal of batteries.”