We believe that the earth is a beautiful place and is worth fighting for, which is why we are excited to be part of the battery collection initiative by the Recycle Namibia Forum and VARTA Household Batteries, the only battery brand that collects batteries in Namibia. The bins can be found at four of our branches: Windhoek Central, Windhoek Lifestyle, Windhoek North and Swakopmund branch.

This is because at the moment only Windhoek and Swakopmund municipalities are allowed to safely dispose of batteries as per the Environmental law in Namibia. We collect about 2 tonnes of batteries annually to be disposed of. This makes a total of 6 000 batteries less that are harming our environment. The disposal bins are collected once a month and can hold up to 60 – 70 kilograms of batteries. We encourage members of the public to bring their daily consumer batteries in-store, but not lithium-ion batteries as these are flammable and can spark a fire.

VARTA collects the batteries which are then given to the City of Windhoek’s Waste Management Unit to safely dispose of them. The batteries go through a mechanical separation process where the batteries are smashed to expose the metal components they contain and are used to make new batteries. A great way to also conserve our raw materials from depletion.

This partnership with the battery brand VARTA extends to other environmental projects where we contribute to animal welfare, anti-poaching campaigns and education in Namibia.