sign in sign up
<<
Home , Battery recycling

Recharging the planet. your batteries.™

RECYCLING MADE EASY FOR MUNICIPALITIES: AUSTIN

ustin took an important step to move toward a more As part of these goals, residents of Austin and Travis Asustainable future by adopting Texas’ first Zero County can bring all types of batteries – along with other Plan. The City’s goal is to reduce materials such as paint, electronics, automotive products the amount of waste its one million households send and chemicals – to the Household to by 90 percent by the year 2040. The Plan Facility (HHW Facility), operated by Austin Resource addresses both upstream and downstream policy and Recovery (a City of Austin service), for safe disposal and/ program options; green business, green buildings, and or recycling. There are a number of locations around jobs; and regional coordination. town to drop off household batteries free of charge. To facilitate disposal of the collected batteries, the City Austin’s Zero Waste Plan takes into consideration its has been working with Call2Recycle®, recycling over current and planned public and private solid waste 40,000 pounds of rechargeable batteries since joining infrastructure, as well as the city’s Climate Protection the program in 2004. Program. Recommendations developed through the process are integral to attaining the United Nations Urban Environmental Accord’s goal to reduce by 20% the per capita solid waste disposal to by 2012, divert 75% of waste from landfills by 2020, and 90% by 2040.

learn more about recycling programs : 877.723.1297 or CALL2RECYCLE.ORG RECYCLING MADE EASY FOR MUNICIPALITIES: AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY 2

There are no laws in Texas mandating battery recycling offsets a portion of the sorting and handling costs or retailer take-back programs, so the success associated with preparing batteries in accordance with of Austin’s voluntary program can be partially DOT requirements.” attributed to the strong environmental advocacy of its residents and progressive waste reduction policy. The major benefit for Austin in working with Call2Recycle Battery recycling, for button batteries only, was first according to Whipple, has been the detailed reporting on collection totals and breakdowns that the Call2Recycle team can provide to the department. Another benefit “Working with Call2Recycle is convenient, to working with Call2Recycle, says Whipple, is that and the organization itself is really the organization is well-established and nationally responsive. The reporting they give back known. “There is a peace-of-mind that comes with the to us, with the breakdown of the chemical downstream recycling. We know the materials are being composition of the batteries, is really properly handled and responsibly recycled and that is detailed and concise so it shows us what important to the overall goals of the Zero Waste Plan. Also, Call2Recycle promotes the program, which helps we’re recycling as far as types of batteries.” with our overall recycling goals.” - Dawn Whipple, Austin Resource Although partnered with Call2Recycle to ensure safe and implemented in the city in the early ‘90s and expanded timely disposal of the rechargeable batteries, the City to all types of batteries, including rechargeables, a few does not advertise the program. It is considering a pilot years later. At the time, the City handled collection and program with Call2Recycle in Austin that would promote disposal through its own agencies awareness of rechargeable battery recycling and the and did not partner with any vendors; residents could drop-off locations to see how it would affect the City’s drop off batteries at designated retail locations such already successful recycling volumes. “Working with as RadioShack®, The Home Depot®, Best Buy® and Call2Recycle to promote our battery recycling efforts Lowe’s®. will result in greater awareness and greater collections, both through the retail drop off program and at the HHW “Our first recycling boxes were tiny because they were just Facility,” said Whipple. for button batteries, but then we started doing all types of batteries, including rechargeable batteries, so the boxes “Austin’s residents are very green-minded and they got bigger and there were more participants and bigger want to ‘do the right thing,’” said Whipple. “They want to collections,” said Dawn Whipple, waste management dispose of materials responsibly, and by partnering with program manager, City of Austin Household Hazardous Call2Recycle we can assure them that their rechargeable Waste. “Throughout the years we’ve just picked up more batteries won’t end up in a landfill.” and more batteries all over town. Last year we picked up 55,000 batteries.”

Batteries from the city-wide drop off program, as well as from those dropped off at the HHW Facility, are processed at the facility. Sorted rechargeable batteries are bulk shipped through Call2Recycle free of charge. The quantity of rechargeable batteries recycled continues to rise, with Austin Resource Recovery shipping 1,400 -2,000 lbs. every month. Austin was also the first community to participate in the GreenVantage program, a new program for municipalities where Call2Recycle

learn more about rechargeable battery recycling programs : 877.723.1297 or CALL2RECYCLE.ORG