Improper disposal of battery-embedded appliances poses fire risk; 8,000 more dedicated bins to be installed this year
The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy said Wednesday it plans to install an additional 8,000 dedicated collection bins by the end of the year to encourage proper disposal of small used appliances with built-in batteries, such as power banks.
Disposing of power banks and portable fans in standard garbage bags, or mixing them with other recyclables such as plastic and vinyl, can cause batteries to be compressed or damaged during the recycling process, potentially triggering fires.
In response, the ministry expanded its extended producer responsibility regime for electrical and electronic products to cover all categories starting in January, and has since installed and operated about 55,000 used-appliance collection bins in cooperation with local governments and ministry-authorized recycling cooperatives to build a collection system for small and mid-sized used appliances.
The ministry plans to install the additional 8,000 bins by year's end and link their locations to online maps so the public can easily find the nearest collection point.
"Power banks carelessly thrown away in the wrong bin can cause fires at recycling facilities," said Kim Go-eung, director general of the ministry's resource circulation bureau. "To prevent safety accidents and promote resource circulation, we ask that used appliances with built-in batteries be disposed of at the nearest used-appliance or battery collection bin."
thlee@heraldcorp.com
