Indonesia must tighten regulations to minimise health risks surrounding the country’s used lead–acid batteries (ULAB) recycling plants, the 4th International Lead Recycling conference was told.
Budi Susilorini, the Indonesia Country Coordinator at not-for-profit health and environment organisation Blacksmith Institute told delegates a staggering 70% of the country’s 300,000 batteries were processed by informal small-scale smelters in 2010.
There are around 300 smelters in the country, of which Susilorini said Blacksmith were unsure whether it was legal or illegal smelters causing pollution in the area surrounding the plants.
She added: “Used lead-acid batteries in Indonesia are processed by informal small scale smelters, and we want no more batteries going to informal smelters. The battery should go back to the producer.
“We visited three illegal smelters and there’s more improvements to do in opperations to make sure air-borne contamination does not occur.”
In 2009, a collaborative project between the Blacksmith Institute and Komite Penghapusan Bensin Bertimbel set out to mitigate lead impacts from ULAB recycling.
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia has been playing a critical role in the implementation of the recommendations, so as to guide the joint efforts of the multi-stakeholders.
