On April 22, 2015 which was the 46th World Earth Day, the launching ceremony of the waste battery recovery campaign of GEM Tianjin was grandly held in the Fenghuli Community, Nankai District, Tianjin. This event was participated by more than 300 participants, including Miao Jiaxing, the Deputy Director of Tianjin Environmental Protection Bureau, Jin Fanghua, the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Tianjin Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Wang Aihong, the Director of Minor Work Division, Office of Tianjin Spiritual Civilization Construction Committee, Hao Weining, the Director of Tianjin Environmental Protection Publicity and Education Center and the Secretary-General of Tianjin Ecological Ethics Education and Promotion Association, Zhao Bei, the Deputy Director of the Moral Education Division of Tianjin Education Commission, Zhu Hongbo, the Deputy Director of the Solid Division of Tianjin Environmental Protection Bureau, Shi Wei from Tianjin Youth Development Foundation, Sun Hualin, the Deputy Director of Tianjin Nankai District Environmental Protection Bureau, Song Jianfang, the Deputy Director of Jinghai County Environmental Protection Bureau of Tianjin, Zhou Jifeng, the deputy general manager of GEM Group, Zhao Chun, the head of GEM (Tianjin) Urban Minerals Recycling Industry Development Co., Ltd and the principal of Fenghuli Primary School in Nankai District, teacher and student representatives from green schools, citizen representatives from green communities, environmental protection volunteers, as well as representatives from 20 mainstream media agencies including China Economic Herald, China Environment News, people.cn, ce.cn, CNTV.cn, City Express, and Tianjin Daily.
Zhang Jie, the deputy director of Tianjin Environmental Protection Publicity and Education Center, introduced the attending guests in the launching ceremony. Hao Weining, the Director of Tianjin Environmental Protection Publicity and Education Center and the Secretary-General of Tianjin Ecological Ethics Education and Promotion Association, introduced the working plans and priorities of GEM Tianjin’s waste battery recovery campaign. The first step was to take 62 municipal-level environmentally-friendly schools as the pilot units and promote the campaign to the environmentally-friendly schools of other counties. The second step was to promote the campaign to other environmentally-friendly communities and companies after learning the successful experience from the pilot units. Zhou Jifeng, the deputy general manager of GEM Group, introduced the hazard of waste batteries to the environment, and the industrial status of GEM regarding the recycling of waste batteries. A primary student representative made a proposal to give a safe home to batteries and return us a clean world. He motivated his family members and friends to involve into the battery recovery event. Zhao Chun, the principal of Fenghuli Primary School in Nankai District, made a statement that he will actively carry out waste battery recovery events, publicize knowledge of environmental protection, and create a green campus by taking the opportunity of this event. The school will step up the publicity, better educate teachers and students about the hazard of waste batteries, and actively participate in waste battery recovery. Miao Jiaxing, the Deputy Director of Tianjin Environmental Protection Bureau, spoke highly of the waste battery recovery campaign of GEM. He said although waste batteries are posing increasingly greater environmental pollution, they have not drawn enough attention. The society needs companies like GEM to recycle waste batteries and turn them into resources. Jin Fanghua, the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Tianjin Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, donated battery recovery boxes to Fenghuli Primary School, expecting the school to lead those children through the battery recovery campaign. Finally, the waste battery recovery campaign themed “Handy Environmental Protection to Show Love” was jointly launched by Miao Jiaxing, the Deputy Director of Tianjin Environmental Protection Bureau, Jin Fanghua, the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Tianjin Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Zhou Jifeng, the deputy general manager of GEM Group, and the head of GEM (Tianjin) Urban Minerals Recycling Industry Development Co., Ltd.
GEM Tianjin’s waste battery recovery campaign is divided into three stages: The first stage, from March 2015 to April 22, 2015, is the pilot run in Tianjin, Jinghai country and other regions; the second stage, from April 22, 2015 to September 2015, is the roll-out in Tianjin green schools and governmental organizations; the third stage, from September 2015 to December 2015, is the roll-out in major universities, colleges, and other organizations (such as supermarkets) in Tianjin. In 2016, waste battery recovery boxes will be installed throughout the residential communities in Tianjin. A plan has been made to set up 8000 waste battery recovery outlets in Tianjin within two years, and promote the campaign to every corner of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, in a bid to make remarkable contributions to the purpose of “cherishing earth resources, change development modes, and promote resource efficiency”. By far, GEM has installed more than 300 battery recovery boxes in Tianjin Development and Reform Commission, Jinghai County Government, and other governmental organizations and enterprises.
The total number of waste battery recovery boxes installed by GEM has reached more than 20000, covering more than 100 provinces and cities including Hubei, Guangdong, and Jiangxi, raising the waste battery recovery rate of China from less than 1% in 2006 to more than 10% at present.
The full launch of GEM waste battery recovery campaign marks another big move of GEM in carrying out its nationwide plan of waste battery recovery, and also a further solid step of GEM towards the gorgeous Chinese Dream of “mining urban mines and lighting up the beautiful China”.
Figure 1 The launching ceremony of the waste battery recovery campaign started in GEM Tianjin
Figure 2 Zhou Jifeng, deputy general manager of GEM Group, delivered a speech
Figure 3 A primary student representative announced the initiative of waste battery recovery
Figure 4 Zhao Chun, the principal of Fenghuli Primary School in Nankai District, Tianjin, made a statement
Figure 5 Miao Jiaxing, the Deputy Director of Tianjin Environmental Protection Bureau, delivered a speech
Figure 6 GEM Tianjin's waste battery recovery campaign was officially launched
Figure 7 Primary school students, volunteers and community participants listened carefully to the leaders’ speeches
Figure 8 A primary school student was putting batteries into the box
Figure 9 A group photo of participating leaders, primary student representatives, and volunteers