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WEEKLY NEWS 1: Landmark Year for Rechargeable Batteries

On Thursday, January 9, 2003, the non-profit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) announced a landmark year for the rechargeable battery recycling industry. Almost 3.4 million pounds of rechargeable batteries were collected in the U.S. and Canada in 2002. That’s a lot of batteries!

More and more people are using rechargeable batteries these days, especially with all the recent technological advancements. People use rechargeable batteries--which can be used over and over again--in things like laptop computers, digital cameras, cellular phones, and even tools like cordless drills.

RBRC collects old rechargeable batteries and recycles them so that they can be used again. The corporation helps keep old batteries from getting thrown into the trash, where they would increase the amount of waste and pollute the environment.

RBRC has been around since 1995. During that time they have recycled more than 17 million pounds of batteries, which equals more than 30 million individual batteries. Lots of different companies help support this effort, including Home Depot and Black & Decker.

Rechargeable batteries can be dropped off at more than 30,000 locations across the U.S. and Canada. Many of the locations are at retailers such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears and Target. You can find out if you have a drop-off location close to you by calling 1-800-8-BATTERY.

--Written by Carla Shives

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