Three Chinese high school students found the recycling rate of used batteries in Hangzhou City only amounts to 10 percent and called for laws and regulations on the production and recycle of batteries for a clean environment.
The students spent several months investigating the battery pollution problem in Hangzhou, a famous tourist destination in east China, by distributing questionnaires, interviewing local residents and consulting experts on the situation.
Their survey results show Hangzhou's recycling rate of used batteries only stands at 10 percent.
Eighty-eight percent of those questioned realized that discarded batteries are harmful to the environment, but 87 percent said they throw out used batteries with their daily rubbish.
Their survey shows that Hangzhou has only 300 battery recycling bins, far fewer than can meet the demand, and most of them are in department stores and schools.
The students suggested that the local government should set up more battery recycling bins on the street and boost public awareness of environmental protection by measures that would allow people to trade in old batteries for new ones.
According to statistics, China produced 14 billion batteries last year, accounting for one-third of the world's output.
Batteries that are not properly disposed of will disintegrate and leak dangerous substances in ground water, soil and air, eventually polluting food sources.
(China Daily November 19, 2001)
