"I'll Give You New Batteries, Bring Me Used Batteries"

Mapo-gu to Hold Used Battery Exchange Event at Incineration Zero Store from 17th to 28th

Bring 10 used batteries to receive 2 new batteries... Up to 10 per person per day

Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Gang-su) has prepared an event to exchange used batteries for new ones in celebration of Earth Day on the 22nd.

From the 17th to the 28th, for two weeks, if you bring 10 used batteries to the ‘Incineration Zero Store’ set up at the Mapo-gu Office Plaza, you can exchange them for 2 new AA-size batteries.

Disposable batteries commonly used in daily life are manganese and alkaline batteries, which cause water and soil pollution due to heavy metals when disposed of as general waste.

When incinerated, gases such as manganese and zinc are emitted, causing air pollution as well.

A district official explained, “Used batteries not only cause environmental pollution but also pose a fire risk due to friction during processing, so they must be separated for disposal. However, because they are small and often discarded while embedded in small electronic devices, proper separation and disposal are not well practiced. This event was organized to intensively promote the necessity of separating used batteries and to increase resident participation.”

From the 17th to the 28th, the Incineration Zero Store at Mapo-gu Office Plaza will hold a used battery exchange event. Mapo-gu opened the first 'Incineration Zero Store' at the district office plaza and held an orientation session to enable all residents to separate and intermediate-treat household waste.

Anyone who is a resident of Mapo-gu or operates a business in Mapo-gu can participate in this event by visiting the Incineration Zero Store at Mapo-gu Office Plaza on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Used batteries of all sizes and types can be exchanged, with a limit of up to 10 new batteries per person per day. However, industrial batteries and mobile phone batteries are excluded.

For schools, public institutions, or organizations wishing to exchange in bulk, please contact the Mapo-gu Resource Circulation Division.

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “Used batteries are valuable resources from which metals such as silver, copper, and cobalt can be recovered through dry, wet, and melting processes after separation. We ask for the active participation of residents not only in this used battery exchange event but also in proper separation and disposal through the Incineration Zero Store.”

Meanwhile, the Incineration Zero Store operates a monetary compensation system to increase residents’ interest and participation in resource circulation. Points are accumulated based on the set compensation price per item or weight for 18 items including plastic, cans, and Styrofoam, ranging from 10 won to 600 won. Accumulated points can be redeemed for cash or Zero Pay after one week.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.