The expired batteries are dismantled and tested by activists. Usually, only two or three elements of the whole power supply unit are out of order – everything else is still usable. “Manufacturers do not provide the laptop battery repair. The case is made in such a way that after disassembly it is difficult to put it back into its original shape – that’s why service centers pass the expired laptop batteries back to the manufacturer. I simply dismantle the cases and extract working accumulators, the residual capacity of which is from 60 to 90 percent on average. Such accumulator might be of use for another three month, or up to a year, depending on the rate of usage,” said Dmytro Kotulev from Dnipropetrovsk on the press conference.
The repairer has already recycled about 15 used-up batteries and salvaged about 50 working accumulators. These accumulators may be used in an ordinary flashlight; alternatively, they may become a part of a power bank. “The power bank is the gadget that is designed for recharging tablets, cell phones, and other devices in the field. Now on the frontline they are actively using generators for this purpose – but there are mobile military groups, that might need to leave the base for a prolonged period; such a gadget would be necessary for them to keep all their devices operational. For instance, maps in the ATO zone are uploaded on tablets, which tend to lose charge pretty quickly. Additionally, these power banks are usable for lighting in the tents, reading books, charging smartphones, supplying power for portable radio sets; there is much demand for electricity and thus there are a lot of options to use the accumulators. We have the desire and the ability to reduce procurement costs and make things in demand more widely available,” said Kotulev.
Now Kotulev prepares his first batch of batteries to be transferred into the ATO zone. However, he is not able to provide charging devices for every soldier – therefore he is willing to concentrate on recycling and testing the batteries and asks volunteers and benefactors to assist with the chargers. Environmental activists have already expressed their interest in Kotulev’s idea. “EcoDnepr,” ecological organization that specializes in collecting batteries for recycling decided to help him. “Two years ago we had founded the ‘Batteries, give up!’ project. Since then the activists have collected 3.5 tons of batteries and accumulators all over Ukraine. Unfortunately, not all of them could be recycled and processed in Ukraine, so we simply keep them in our storage. When Dmytro announced that he is working on recycling batteries into working electrical appliances, we were happy. Now we continue to collect used-up laptop power units and transfer each of them to him,” said Zhanna Kuzminska, environmentalist. If the project succeeds, the activists are planning to provide batteries not only for the soldiers, but also for young technician workshops.
