‘Just Seperate it’ - Campaign for Recycling and Against Battery Fires

‘Just Seperate it’: Do not throw away electrical devices, batteries, and accumulators with regular waste, but deliver them separately.

‘Just Seperate it’ is a campaign held in the Netherlands for recycling and against battery fires. The aim is to encourage consumers and businesses to deliver electrical devices, batteries, and accumulators separately to collection points and recycling centers.

Along with organizations such as Stichting OPEN, BRBS Recycling, NVRD, Stichting Stibat Services, TLN, Vereniging Afvalbedrijven, and our client NRF (National Recycling Forum), they want to prevent these valuable items from ending up in regular waste.

"Doe maar Apart' is Dutch for: means 'Just seperate it'

The Safety Week

The ‘Just Seperate it’ campaign kicked off during the Safety Week from June 5th to 9th. The launch took place on June 5th, 'World Environment Day,' at HKS Scrap Metals in Amsterdam.

Raising Awareness

"Consumers are using more and more battery-powered devices, and it is essential for awareness to grow about delivering these devices separately after use. The ‘Just Seperate it’ campaign will contribute significantly to this and provide strong encouragement," says Lennert Vermaat, Association Management Advisor at Lejeune and Secretary-General at NRF. He continues, "Batteries must always be delivered separately to recycle raw materials and prevent increasing waste fires. The ‘Just Seperate it’ campaign ensures that people become aware of this."

Separate Delivery

The ‘Just Seperate it’ campaign utilized radio and social media to emphasize the separate delivery of electrical devices, individual batteries, and accumulators. "With an average of 5 kilograms of discarded devices per household and the ability to recycle a mobile phone up to 93%, delivering instead of throwing away is the right choice. This is not only safe but also yields valuable metals for a circular economy."

Collection Points

The campaign directs consumers and businesses to available collection points in stores and recycling centers. Businesses received a Stibat Battery Storage Box for Business prior to the campaign. But also a communication kit, including a logo, poster, animation, and advertisement for local newspapers.

Small Electrical Waste

Small electrical waste includes products like computers, smartphones, tablets, (beard) trimmers, electric shavers, power tools, e-cigarettes (vapes), electric toys, individual lithium batteries, and (bike) accumulators. Battery fires can occur during the collection, transportation, and processing of various types of waste.

According to Steven Van Eijck, Chairman of Stichting OPEN, the use of vapes among young people is particularly concerning. These e-cigarettes make up 84% of all hazardous devices in regular waste, but batteries from drills and bicycles are also found.

(photo) ‘Just Seperate it’ urges citizens and businesses to deliver electrical devices, batteries, and accumulators separately. Steven van Eijck (l), Chairman of Stichting OPEN, sets a good example.