TECHNOLOGY
S
Product range offering from Willard Batteries.
The limited-edition Blue battery components being put together in the plant.
outh Africa’s popular automotive
battery manufacturer, Willard
Batteries, hosted a tour at the PE
factory. The factory recently underwent
renovations and new investments. They
also took the liberty of sharing their
environmentally sustainable initiative.
According to National Geographic,
approximately, 8.1 billion kilograms of
plastic waste flows into the oceans every
year from coastal regions. In a bid to save
the ocean and the environment, Willard
announced the release of their limited-
edition Willard Blue battery. The limited-
edition blue battery is manufactured in a
blue case and cover. Sales and marketing
executive, Corne Strydom, says, “There’s
a requirement for responsible recycling
of lead acid batteries, which, done
improperly, could result in causing damage
to our environment.”
Strydom shares that recycling used
lead acid batteries isn’t a first for Willard
Batteries. Strydom shares that 98% of
the original material used is recyclable.
They’ve partnered with non-government
organisation (NGO), the Beach Co-op
to further highlight the importance of
collecting and recycling plastic waste.
A portion of the proceeds of sale of the
batteries will benefit the organisation
in order to assist them in their fight to
alleviate the risks plastic pollution poses
to the environment and marine life.
“The partnership puts customers in a
position to contribute to the sustainable
protection of marine wildlife,” shares
Strydom. Furthermore, customers stand
a chance of winning a Big 5 Sea Safari in
Hermanus in the Western Cape. To enter,
participants should register the purchase
of the Blue battery on the Willard website
before 30 September.
Recycling correctly
AutoX executive team, from left: Kelvin Naidoo, manufacturing and technical director;
Corne Strydom, sales and marketing executive; and Glenn Geldenhuis, CEO.
www.equipmentandhire.co.za
Lead-acid batteries are potentially
noxious products that contain
substances that can be harmful to
animal and plant life as well as to
the environment and to the health of
people coming into contact with its
components. “Recycling of lead-acid
batteries is a multi-part process. Initially
the battery is broken apart in a hammer
mill. The broken pieces go into a vat or
flotation pond where the lead and heavy
materials sink to the bottom while the
plastic remains afloat. At this stage the
polypropylene pieces are scooped away,
and the liquids are drawn off leaving
the lead and heavy metals behind,” he
explains.
NOVEMBER 2019
29