Back in February, President Henrique Cardoso asked Brazilians in a weekly radio address to support a mission he termed “basic for your life, for the future of your children and grandchildren, and in the interest of the entire country.” An effort to combat climate-change? A program to protect the rainforest, perhaps? Actually, the president was calling on citizens to stop throwing batteries in the trash. And the request is now an order. In July, Brazil began requiring that certain types of spent batteries be returned, becoming the first Latin American country with a nationwide waste take-back program. Under take-backs, now a common waste-disposal strategy in Europe, consumers must return waste packaging or products to the manufacturer (or to the manufacturer’s agents... [Log in to read more]