Nigeria launches national battery collection and recycling initiative

NIGERIA – Nigeria has launched a national initiative for small battery collection and recycling, deploying receptacles across Abuja’s markets, schools, offices, and motor parks to capture button cells, AA, AAA, and lithium-ion units from phones, remotes, and watches.

Minister of Environment Balarabe Lawal described the initiative as a decisive intervention to close a long-standing gap in Nigeria’s waste management system. 

He noted that while large batteries such as those in vehicles often attract recycling value, smaller batteries are routinely ignored and improperly disposed of, posing serious risks to health and the environment.

The Hidden Danger in Small Batteries

Minister Lawal explained that these small batteries are deceptively dangerous, containing toxic substances that can contaminate soil, water, and food systems, with women and children most vulnerable. 

Despite widespread use, these batteries often enter general waste streams, releasing hazardous materials such as cadmium, mercury, nickel, lithium, and lead into the environment.

A Structured Partnership

The initiative is implemented with the Alliance for Responsible Battery Recycling, the Producer Responsibility Organisation for Nigeria’s battery sector under the Extended Producer Responsibility framework established in 2019. 

ARBR representatives highlighted the growing volume of small battery waste driven by increased technology use and energy access.

ARBR stated that collection is the foundation of environmentally sound management, noting that without it the entire value chain breaks down. 

The programme establishes a coordinated downstream process involving evacuation to central aggregation hubs, then to licensed recycling facilities. 

Key partners include the Abuja Environmental Protection Board and the Waste Pickers Association of Nigeria.

Regulatory Foundation

The initiative is anchored on Nigeria’s National Policy on Battery Waste Management (2022) and the National Environmental (Battery Control) Regulations (2024). NESREA Director General Prof. 

Innocent Barikor described the launch as a strong demonstration of Nigeria’s commitment to international environmental agreements including the Basel Convention on hazardous waste.

When Small Batteries Become a Big Problem

A button cell from a wristwatch is tiny. But millions of them, discarded daily across Abuja, leach mercury and cadmium into soil and water. 

Nigeria’s new collection system is not about recovering value—it is about preventing poisoning. The stakes are enormous.

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