Like many consumers out there I often find myself throwing old batteries into the trash. I’m not proud of it and sometimes I stop myself and throw them instead into a designated “junk drawer” in my bed-side table where they mix and mingle with fresh batteries and end up frustrating my attempts to find replacements with juice for the remote control.
Personally, I’m sick of batteries. They never last as long as you’d like and they go dead at the worst times. I’ve done rechargeable batteries in the past but even these are not as reliable as their packaging literature would have me believe. On top of it all I’m made to feel guilty when I chuck them in the trash.
As a solution to that last bit, the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments in California (SGVCOG) has created a pilot program for consumers to properly dispose of (recycle) their spent batteries by providing drop-off locations at local retail and business locations.
Throwing batteries away is illegal in California, though only 59% of those surveyed were aware of this fact. Over half of those surveyed still threw batteries in the trash.
I like the idea of drop points. I’d love to see this idea spread throughout the nation.
While this isn’t an official Earth Month Tip, it certainly applies. This month, take extra care not to throw your batteries in the trash.
Want to know where to recycle your batteries? Take a peek at the Environment, Health and Safety Online website to find out where to go in your area. Or you can go to the Call2Recycle website and plug in your area code for a nearby drop-off spot.
