Lowe’s installs in-store recycling centers

Lowe’s has installed recycling centers in nearly 1,700 stores throughout the United States to provide a one-stop recycling destination for customers. The permanent recycling centers offer a free, convenient and easy way for customers to recycle rechargeable batteries, cell phones, CFLs and plastic shopping bags.

As consumers continue to recycle products at a growing rate, the newly launched recycling centers will allow for the safe and proper disposal of these items in an easy-to-use bin near the store entrance. Customers can drop off any expired, unbroken CFL, any rechargeable battery up to 11 pounds and all used cell phones and plastic shopping bags. Lowe’s stores in Canada also feature recycling centers to ensure CFLs and batteries are responsibly recycled. The products are safely shipped to recycling facilities to process and reclaim materials that are used to make new products.

Replacing traditional light bulbs with ENERGY STAR® qualified CFLs is one of the easiest ways to cut home energy costs. ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use 75 percent less energy, last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs and will save about $40 over their lifetime, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, the EPA estimates that more than 500 million CFLs, approximately 3 of every 4 CFLs sold in the United States each year, are improperly discarded.