Nearly 7 million pounds of rechargeable batteries collected for recycling in 2008

Call2Recycle®, a rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling solution, reported a 9.6 percent increase in its collection of rechargeable batteries over last year, with 6.9 million pounds of rechargeable batteries recycled through the program in 2008. The amount of batteries collected by Call2Recycle last year is equivalent to the weight of approximately 163 school buses.

“Many factors contributed to this year’s success, including new partnerships and the expansion of our collection program to include a new battery chemistry. But more than anything, continuous support and ongoing involvement from our retail, consumer and community partners has helped us grow our collection efforts year over year,” said Carl Smith, CEO, Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC). “Particularly as more attention is paid to the disposal of electronic waste, the Call2Recycle solution stands out as a viable means of handling rechargeable battery disposal.”

The following activities, programs and partnerships are among the key drivers in this year’s success:

• Earth911.com – Call2Recycle partnered with Earth911.com, leveraging the site’s readership to raise awareness for rechargeable battery recycling. Battery recycling was the site’s top search term in 2008, underscoring the importance of extending the reach of Call2Recycle via another like-minded environmental organization. In addition to a comprehensive search engine for collection locations, the site now includes content on rechargeable battery recycling to educate visitors and encourage participation.
• Program Expansion – For the first time in seven years, Call2Recycle expanded its rechargeable battery collection program to encompass Nickel Zinc (Ni-Zn) batteries, making it the fifth rechargeable chemistry recognized in the program. PowerGenix, a rechargeable battery manufacturer, became the first Call2Recycle licensee of Ni-Zn.
• Sony – Call2Recycle furthered rechargeable battery recycling awareness and encouraged consumer participation by bundling individual battery collection bags with each built-to-order Sony VAIO notebook. This effort makes it simple for consumers to recycle the rechargeable batteries in the old laptop computers they replace.
• DeWalt – During DeWalt’s “National Power Tool Battery Recycling Month” in October, consumers who recycled any power tool battery at one of its 87 service centers received a $10 discount on battery purchases.
• Ritz Camera – Call2Recycle collection boxes are now placed in more than 140 Ritz Camera stores in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon.
• United States Forest Service (USFS) – Approximately 500 USFS offices enrolled, and by extension their local communities – in the program.

Administered by the RBRC, Call2Recycle provides a convenient way to collect used rechargeable batteries found in cordless electronic products, such as laptop computers, cell phones, digital cameras, cordless power tools, PDAs, mp3 players and two-way radios. For more information and local Call2Recycle collections sites, call 877-2-RECYCLE or visit www.call2recycle.org.