My quest to properly recycle household batteries led me to the “starter” iRecycle Kit which I ordered on line from www.batteryrecycling.com. Arriving in a standard US postal box, this convenient kit is simple and complete. The iRecycle Kit contains an attractive cardboard battery collection carton, a cellophane tape dispenser, and instructions on how to properly recycle batteries.

To my surprise the company behind the kit, Battery Solutions, not only accepts household batteries for recycling, but rechargeable battery packs and handheld electronic devices too. How convenient to be able to recycle your spent batteries and outdated electronic gadgets from your own home. Best of all, you have up to 1 year from the date you start collecting until the kit must be returned for recycling.

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User’s Choice
The other day I was cleaning out our family “junk drawer”. You know that one drawer treasure trove containing everything from old sales receipts to mystery keys of long forgotten locks. Well, this particular drawer had its share of miscellaneous objects but one collection stood out above all the rest: spent batteries. The drawer was heavily laden with an assortment of old alkaline (AAA, AA, C, D, 9V) and lithium (button) batteries that for eco-guilt reasons I just couldn’t throw out.

According to the EPA, “Every year in the United States, Americans buy, use and throw out billions of batteries.” For me, the tough part of the above statement is, throw out. While I know that alkaline and lithium batteries are classified by the federal government as “non-hazardous waste” and can be thrown out with the kitchen trash, it just doesn’t seem responsible to put them out for curbside trash pick-up knowing they will end up in a municipal landfill. So, I collect them and collect them and collect them.

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Tackling a Worldwide Problem
Breaking the plastic bag habit is not just a USA phenomenon. In fact, many countries worldwide enacted laws to reduce or eliminate the use of plastic bags long before cities and states within the USA began to do so. While approaches may vary, all acting governments have the common goal of changing the entrenched consumer habit of using plastic bags.

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Responsible Retailers
It doesn’t take much shopping to recognize that retail outlets are large purveyors of disposable, plastic shopping bags. Of the estimated 100 billion bags used in the USA annually, 53% are distributed by supermarkets and grocers. By offering plastic bag recycling programs, retailers are effectively increasing the collection and recycle rates of these high environmental impact totes. The spark that ignited point of sale recycling began in the USA in 2006 when the State of California adopted, The Plastic Bag Recycling Act. This law mandates that certain retail outlets be responsible for the collection, transportation, and recycling of plastic bags. Since California’s law went into effect other states have enacted or are considering similar legislation. Many grocers and pharmacies are implementing plastic bag recycling programs even before any law mandates them to do so. It seems that these retailers know that going green is not only good for the environment, it is good for business.

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To get in the habit of recycling plastic bags at your local grocer; begin by using an empty plastic bag as the storage tote for your growing used plastic bag collection.  Keep the tote hung on your coat rack where it is readily available for you to stuff with used bags or to grab on your way out the door.  When the bag is full, take it on your next shopping trip and deposit it your grocer’s plastic bag recycling bin.  Voila!