Students at Shuswap Middle School collect, recycle 1,500 pounds of batteries

An environmentally charged group of students in B.C.’s Southern Interior pooled their efforts to keep 1,500 pounds of used batteries out of local landfills.

The students, from Shuswap Middle School in Salmon Arm, embarked on the used-battery collection contest and wound up collecting an impressive amount.

“This is a major amount of batteries that will not go to the local landfill and we are celebrating,” said Shuswap Middle School principal Sydney Griffith.

“We know this took a lot of parental support and we appreciate the help with this awesome effort.”

According to the school, the students learned why recycling batteries is important.

Below are some of those reasons.

Batteries decay

• Batteries begin to rot in landfill sites quite quickly. The chemicals leak into the ground, which cause soil and water pollution.

Batteries can catch fire

• If batteries are placed in the trash, they can cause a fire in the truck or in the landfill.

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Batteries are comprised of expensive and useful materials

• Recycling batteries reduces the need for raw materials and conserves resources. Battery production relies on materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt.

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The collected batteries were dropped off in Salmon Arm for recycling.

In the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, recycling collection places are listed below.

Salmon Arm

• Staples, 360 Trans Canada Hwy SW
• Vella Radio, 810 Trans Canada Hwy SW
• The Source, 1151 10 Avenue SW
• Canadian Tire, 1151 10 Avenue SW
• RONA, 2430 Highway 1 West
• Salmon Arm Landfill, 4290 20 Avenue SE

Tappen

• Skimikin Transfer Station, 2281 Skimikin Road

Glenemma

• Glenemma Transfer Station, 3125 McTavish Road

Malakwa

• 3591 McLean-Sawmill Road

Parson

• Parson Transfer Station, 3583 Hwy 95

Seymour Arm

• Seymour Arm Transfer Station, 1815 Quast Road

Sicamous

• Sicamous Landfill,  950 2 Mile Road

Trout Lake

• Trout Lake Transfer Station, 5100 Hwy 31

Scotch Creek

• Scotch Creek Transfer Station, 3508 Squilax-Anglemont Road

Falkland

• Falkland Transfer Station, 2830 Wetaskiwin Road

Revelstoke

• Revelstoke Bottle Depot, 97 Cartier Street
• Pharmasave, 307 West Victoria Road
• Save-On-Foods, 555 Victoria Road
• The Source, 455 Victoria St Unit #10
• ListenUp! Canada, 305 1st St. W.
• Revelstoke Builders Supply, 201 Campbell Avenue
• Revelstoke Landfill, 330 Westside Road

Golden

• RONA, 912 – 15th Street
• The Source, 1106- 10th Ave South
• Golden Home Building Centre, 909 11th Ave South
• Telus, 1101 11th Avenue, Golden
• Golden Landfill, 350 Golden-Donald Upper Road

Enderby

• Enderby Return-It Recycling Depot, 904 Belvedere Street

Armstrong

• Armstrong Bottle Depot, 3730 Pleasant Valley Road