Friday, January 11, 2013

  Most batteries collected in a day: Durham Region breaks Guinness world record

DURHAM, ON, Canada -- The Region of Durham collected an incredible 11,288 pounds (almost 5,120 kilograms) of batteries, setting the new world record for most batteries collected in a twenty-four hour period, according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/.

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  Photo: Durham Regional Councillor and Works Committee Chair Nester Pidwerbecki, right, and Regional Chair Roger Anderson celebrate the success of the battery collection project. Photo: PR

The Guinness world record for the most paper collected in 24 hours is 50,766.06 kg (111,920 lb) achieved by Comerica Bank, Iron Mountain and KDFW FOX 4 (all USA) at "Shred Day DFW" in Dallas, Texas, USA.

Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the MOst batteries in a work of art, set by Gilberto Macías Enríquez of Nuevo León, Mexico, who constructed a model of the Vatican made entirely with 21,313 button-shaped batteries. His aim is to make people aware of the high toxicity of batteries by recycling them.

  The sprawling municipality east of Toronto has likely smashed the Guinness World Record for collection of batteries in a 24-hour period.

  Durham's battery collection tally was an impressive 5,102 kilograms, says waste operations supervisor Peter Veiga, outstripping a feeble 181.8 kilograms for the existing Guinness world record.

  "On behalf of The Regional Municipality of Durham, I am proud to say we are leaders in waste diversion and now we have the world record to prove it," says Regional Chair Roger Anderson.
  "Every municipality participated in today's collection, so it truly is Durham's record."

  How did the municipality's waste wizards accomplish this feat? By instituting a pilot curbside collection program for batteries during a week's regular garbage and recycling pickup.

  The pilot program allows Durham residents who receive curbside collection services the opportunity to place their unwanted intact, single-use household batteries in specially designed battery bags and put them at the curb on top of blue box materials during special collection weeks.

  Durham offered the answer by distributing a zip-lock, recyclable plastic bag — "The Original Battery Bag" — emblazoned with a bright orange panel, some images of batteries and a list of program sponsors. Residents were asked to put the bag on top of their blue boxes at curbside.

   According to 'The Star', "It was a veritable tsunami of batteries — including rechargeables from cellphones, drills and lanterns — that hit the region's waste management centre, even though only about 10 per cent of Durham's 191,000 households actually participated."

  The Battery Recycling Pilot Program, entitled "Batteries Dead? Recycle Instead!" is part of Orange Drop, a program operated by Stewardship Ontario.

  The municipality intends to repeat the battery collection next year (March 18-22) after the clocks go forward.

  Meanwhile, there are other Guinness recycling and collection records out there to be broken: largest donation of used mobile phones in 24 hours (2,590); most aluminum can tabs collected in one year (2,783,788); most drink cans collected in eight hours (152,800); most plastic bags recycled in eight hours (120,000); most plastic bottles recycled in eight hours (13,408.19 kilos.)

   Related world records:
Largest house made from recycled Euros: Frank Buckley sets world record (Video)

Most plastic bottles collected: Florida students

Largest chain of aluminium cans: world record set in De Pere (Video)

Longest bridge made from plastic bottles

Largest military aircraft cemetery: 'The Boneyard'

First compostable bathing suit: designer Linda Loudermilk

Longest string of bottle caps: Seaview School students

Last update:Friday, January 11, 2013 4:23 PM