Using a Battery Bin
As you change out batteries in your child’s toy, your remote control or household smoke detector, in years past you may have considered throwing them into a garbage bin to be taken to the landfill. Today we know that the improper disposal of batteries contributes to pollution and allows caustic chemicals within the batteries to leach into the soil and ground water. That’s why so many organizations have put together battery recycling programs worldwide. Instead of chucking your batteries in the trash, they go into an approved battery bin to be recycled into usable materials.
If your home recycling company does not pick up batteries, it’s important to start looking for locations that offer recycling. Several schools, colleges, electronics and auto parts stores are starting to have at least one battery bin in their facility. Most often you can find these receptacles in the entryway or near the cash registers in retail establishments. In other locations, such as schools and colleges, you may be able to send the batteries through inter-campus mail or drop them off at a recycling point behind the school. To be certain, ask a school administrator or principal.
Some companies have made it really easy for you to dispose of your batteries by offering a desktop battery bin for use at home. These bins are a specially designed container that you can use for holding your batteries until they are recycled. This takes the chore out of holding onto a large quantity of batteries until you can get to a store or location that will recycle them for you. For more heavy-duty users of batteries such as clinics, shops and electronics stores, bucket-style bins are used to collect batteries as they are used up.
After you’ve saved a reasonable quantity of used batteries, or if you choose to dispose of them a few at a time, it’s important to take them to an approved battery bin for recycling. If you time your drop off with a walk across campus or a shopping trip to your favorite auto parts or electronics store, the task could not possibly be easier. Simply drop in the batteries and be on your way.
