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 How convenient to be able to recycle your spent batteries and outdated electronic gadgets from your own home.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.

Yes, Battery Recycling 101 was about to begin. Having read the well illustrated instructions, I taped each battery terminal with cellophane tape before depositing it in the carton. You may be thinking, why tape the terminals? According to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) a division of the Department of Transportation (DOT), “all batteries operate through a controlled chemical reaction, which generates electrical energy…and some degree of heat… External short-circuiting of a battery can occur from contact or close proximity of metal objects or other batteries near exposed terminals”. This short-circuiting, “poses a risk of overheating and fire”. Taping the terminals ensures safe battery transport. Having properly deposited all of my batteries into the 10in”x 5in”x 6in” collection carton, I realized I still had lots of space left to fill. This sparked an idea- Take the iRecycle Kit to the office. I set up the iRecycle Kit near our copy machine (high traffic area) and sent out an intra-company email announcing this novel recycling opportunity. Within just 1 week, the iRecycle collection carton was full. It seems that many of my co-workers had been hoarding batteries too.

Before mailing back our kit for recycling, I decided to find out the types of batteries and devices that we ultimately collected. For the most part, the box contained the usual household stockpile of AAA, AA, C, and D batteries interspersed with a few more specialized ones like 3.6 V NiCad (for telephones) and A-23 (for remote key fob radio devices). We even collected a few large, rechargeable power tool batteries. All in all, we shipped back over 10 lbs or batteries. In my opinion, that’s 10 lbs less chemical and metal waste going to a landfill. I believe that with a larger collection container and more time we would begin to collect old cell phones and PDAs too. So, what did 10 lbs of batteries cost to recycle with the iRecycle kit? The answer is: $US 34.95 – just under $US 3.50 per lb. including transportation. (Not cheap, but not bad considering at least $US 10.00 went toward shipping).

Trying to promote household battery recycling is not an easy task and is largely hindered by lack of government regulation and the intrinsic value of battery components. Although all household batteries are recyclable, the costs associated with the recovery of component metals may be higher than the market values of the metals reclaimed. In a world where consumers are used to throwing batteries out with the trash, it will take government legislation to make battery recycling a normal household habit. The iRecycle Kit is a convenient way to collect and recycle batteries and small electronic devices. Yet, in our current recessionary economy, it may be a difficult sell. In my opinion, recycling batteries is worth the expense. To lower the expense, the company could ship the kit out to customers in an envelope (packed flat) rather than packed inside an outer carton. Less shipping expenditure passed on to the customer could create a better kit value.

Now that I have sent off my cache of disposable batteries for recycling, I am beginning to use rechargeable batteries. Knowing that rechargeable batteries are considered “Hazardous Waste”, my battery recycling efforts will be mandatory, but less frequent.

© 2009 Recycle Life, LLC
The RecyGal^TM and the RecyGal character, logo are trademarks of Recycle Life , LLC
References for this article were obtained from:
Recycling Today, March 2003, Federal Register, Vol.72, No.57, www.irecycle.com

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.

Knowing that batteries can contain toxic substances like heavy metals and caustic acids, it seems unbelievable that a more rigorous effort is not made to incorporate them into the municipal recycling stream. According to Environment, Health, and Safety Online, “Dry cell batteries contribute about 88 percent of the total mercury and 50 percent of the cadmium in municipal solid waste stream”.

The fact that batteries contain metals and chemicals that can pollute our environment has sparked both public and government concern. Leading the charge to eliminate household battery pollution is the State of California where all batteries are considered hazardous waste. To respond to battery pollution concerns, battery manufacturers have taken a two prong approach: work to reduce or eliminate the amount of heavy metals in batteries and promote the use of rechargeable batteries. While rechargeable batteries may reduce the amount of new batteries consumed, many rechargeable batteries are nickel-cadmium based and must be recycled in order to keep these heavy metals out of the waste steam. With the market push toward rechargeable batteries, some retailers have begun to offer rechargeable battery recycling programs. I believe this is a step in the right direction if the public (now used to throwing batteries out with the trash) actually recycles these rechargeable counterparts. Rechargeable batteries are hazardous waste and we all know, “Old habits Die Hard!!”

To solve my growing battery collection, I searched for on-line advice on how to recycle them. I have just sent away for information on a residential mail-in program called, “The iRecycle Kit”. I will keep you posted on my experience. To reduce the amount of batteries used in my home, I am going to begin using rechargeable batteries. Honestly, I have been reluctant to start using them because past attempts were disappointing. I recall that rechargeable batteries did not hold a charge well. My husband assures me that since I last used rechargeable batteries, charge performance has improved considerably. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle is a mantra we can all easily follow. So, now that I have a plan for household batteries, I need to work on one for the office ….. to be continued.

© 2009 Recycle Life, LLC
The RecyGal^TM and the RecyGal logo are trademarks of Recycle Life , LLC
References for this article were obtained from:
www.epa.gov, www.esho.com,www.green.ca.gov,www.irecycle.com