Battery Recycling

Not being completely content with my initial Blog Action Day post, I decided to take another stab at talking about something related to the environement. It was a topic that I previously took some time to read about a couple of weeks back – battery recycling.

Oftentimes people wonder what to do with their old batteries, whether it be those AA cells, cellphone batteries, laptop batteries etc. People will tell you one of three things when asked what to do with old batteries (depending on what type of battery you’re referring to). 1) Stop using alkaline batteries and start using rechargeables; 2) Go recycle them somewhere; 3) Just toss them in the trash.

Most everybody knows nowadays that it’s not wise to just “toss ‘em in the trash” because of the hazardous materials inside the batteries. And well, when someobody says “Go recycle’em”, they usually don’t follow up with a place/business that’ll help you do that.

To address point #1 here’s a link to some rechargeable NiMH batteries from Grassroots. True, you can find NiMH batteries and rechargers just about anywhere, but I like Grassroots and what they stand for. Plus, while you’re in there you can check out some of the other neat eco-friendly items they have in stalk.

Now to address points #2 and #3 I’ve done some quick searching (thanks to Google) and found a few places that will recycle batteries of any type.

Mountain Equipment Co-op Battery Recycling: Yes! MEC does have battery recycling. Although I’m not sure if they’ll take batteries that you don’t buy from them. I guess it’s really dependent on the brand you buy. If you buy generic dollar store brand batteries you may have trouble trying to get those recycled. But if push comes to shove you can always contact MEC to see if they’ll take any batteries whatsoever.

call[2]recycle: Kudos to the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation. Did I just give kudos to a corporation? LOL. Well the RBRC has various drop off locations where you can drop of old rechargeable batteries and cellphones. You can check here for a drop off location near you. Just keep in mind that this is most likely for cellphones and rechargeable cellphone batteries. I’m not sure if they accept any other types of batteries, but again contact them before making the trek to your nearest drop off location. Also, this company/program is endorsed by Richard Karn aka “Al” From TV’s Home Improvement and former host of The Family Feud! How brilliant is that!?

The Battery Broker & Accu-Shred Limited: As near as I can tell these 2 companies seem to only deal with other companies that are looking to dispose of batteries in an environmentally friendly manner. So if you know someone who is employed at a company that deals with either of these companies be sure to ask that person to help you out with battery recycling.

Lastly, the City of Toronto itself has means of disposing of hazardous waste such as batteries. Be sure to visit the Household Hazardous Waste Depot site or the HHW Reuse Centre site. Or you could call the nearest HHW Depot to find out how to properly dispose of wasted like batteries.