As part of the “Escola Electrão” campaign, the schools won €2325 in gift vouchers to be exchanged for new electrical equipment.

The 38 schools in the district of Faro that participated in the 12th edition of “Escola Electrão” collected around 26 tonnes of batteries, light bulbs and used electrical equipment. These schools won, globally, €2325 in gift vouchers that can be exchanged for new electrical equipment.

The Pinheiro e Rosa Secondary School in Faro collected the most Electrical and Electronic Equipment Waste (2792 Kg), the Dr José Neves Júnior Primary School, also in Faro, was at the forefront of light bulbs collection (59 Kg), while the School of Hospitality and Tourism of the Algarve collected the most batteries (98 kg).

More than 300 tons of used batteries, light bulbs and electrical equipment were collected nationwide as part of the 12th edition of “Escola Electrão”, which took place between September 2022 and June 2023.

This campaign, promoted by Electrão and which raises awareness of the need to recycle used electrical equipment, enabled the collection of 10.4 tons of batteries, 6.3 tons of light bulbs and 284 tons of other used electrical equipment, such as toasters, cell phones and computers. These results represent a 12% increase compared to the previous edition for the 2020/2021 school year, in which 269 tons were collected.

The 12th edition involved around 400 schools from north to south of the country, including the Azores and Madeira.

Participating schools receive points depending on the amounts collected, which are converted into prizes. For every 100 kilos of batteries, 100 kilos of light bulbs or 1000 kilos of used electrical equipment, each school receives a gift voucher worth €75. This year, 177 schools received gift vouchers. The overall value to be allocated exceeds €30,000 in gift vouchers that can be exchanged for new electrical equipment.

“In the last school year, the quantities of batteries, light bulbs and other electrical equipment collected in schools increased again. This confirms the success of an initiative involving the whole community, particularly the schools”, underlines the deputy director-general of Electrão, Ricardo Furtado.

Throughout its 12 editions, this campaign has already enabled the collection of more than six thousand tons of waste through participating schools.