In July 2010, Call2Recycle, a free rechargeable battery and cell phone collection program for North America, challenged Americans to divert one million pounds of rechargeable batteries from landfills by October 1 as part of its MyCall2Recycle awareness campaign. The challenge was successful, with 1.24 million pounds of rechargeable batteries collected.
During the campaign, Call2Recycle embarked on a cross-country battery collection drive with stops in four major markets: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Diego. These markets also entered into a friendly competition to collect the most batteries between July and October. While residents in all four markets brought a significant amount of rechargeable batteries to Call2Recycle collection sites for recycling, Atlanta led the way by recycling more than 63,000 pounds of rechargeable batteries.
“We are proud of the enthusiasm consumers have shown for recycling rechargeable batteries and cell phones across America, helping us surpass our million pound goal,” said Carl Smith, president and CEO of Call2Recycle. “Though the campaign is over, our efforts to divert rechargeable batteries from local landfills are not. We want to remind consumers and businesses alike that recycling old rechargeable batteries helps preserve the environment by keeping valuable materials out of landfills.”
Rechargeable batteries are a long-lasting power source for many electronic devices, including laptops, cell phones, cordless phones, cordless power tools, and digital cameras. They can be recycled year-round at any of Call2Recycle’s 30,000 collection sites throughout North America, including many locations of campaign partners DeWALT Factory Service Centers, Lowe’s, RadioShack, and Staples.
Facilities Can Get Involved
Since 1994, Call2Recycle, which is operated by the non-profit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), has diverted more than 60 million pounds of rechargeable batteries from local landfills.
The program for rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling is available to residents, retailers, businesses, communities, municipalities, and public agencies in the U.S. and Canada. It is funded by battery and product manufacturers to raise awareness about the importance of battery recycling and to promote product stewardship initiatives.
Businesses, communities, municipalities and public agencies can sign up to become a Call2Recycle collection location for batteries and cell phones. They can choose to only collect from their staff within their organizations or collect from the public. There is no cost to participate or to recycle through the Call2Recycle program.
New batteries and stainless steel products are made from the precious metals recovered from the used batteries. Meanwhile, cell phones are recycled, refurbished and/or resold. None of the broken down material makes its way into landfills.