Battery recycling labels coming in the mail
By Dr. Richard Ehrlich

Keep an eye on your mail. In an upcoming Citizens for a Clean Caledon (CCC) brochure there will be a Battery Recycling adhesive label for every home in Caledon.

The average home has dozens of items that use batteries: iPods, remote controls, digital cameras, cordless gadgets - the list gets bigger every year. Used household batteries cannot be discarded as regular waste for landfill or incineration. Environment Canada did some projections, and by 2010 the toxic waste from 495 million discarded batteries will contain 747 tonnes of lead, 287 tonnes of nickel, 343 tonnes of zinc and 3,501 tonnes of manganese. Canadians only recycle 2% of household batteries, and thousands of tonnes end up in landfills.

The best way is to reduce this problem is to lower the number of disposable batteries used. New technology has allowed nickel metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries to hold far more power than before, and they have become cheaper and faster to charge. They cost more than disposable batteries initially, but are much cheaper in the long run.

I rarely use any disposable batteries at home or work, as I use rechargeable NiMHs for almost everything. New lithium rechargeable batteries will soon hold even more power. Disposable batteries are best for items that are rarely used, such as an emergency flashlight or smoke detector.

Once a battery is depleted it needs to be recycled. Caledon is a leader in this area, and CCC has a unique program, where citizens can drop off all types of household batteries at participating retailers for proper recycling. To date we have recycled more than 16,000 kilos of batteries! The percentage of batteries recycled in Caledon is dropping, so CCC has mailed out brochures with an adhesive label that can be used on a plastic tub such as a yogurt container, to make a household battery recycling bin. When full, this can be brought to one of the drop-off locations. These are The Source (Formerly Radio Shack) and Canadian Tire in Bolton, Berney's Pro Hardware in Caledon East, and the Palgrave postal outlet. The used batteries are picked up by The Battery Broker and sent to various facilities for full recycling.

Used batteries can also be dropped off at the Caledon Community Recycling Centre for hazardous waste disposal, but not recycling.

We, at the Citizens for a Clean Caledon would like to thank all the people of Caledon for their excellent participation in this project, the first of its kind in Ontario. We would also like to thank the participating retailers for their cooperation and expertise, and would encourage you to help support them. If you don't see the Battery Recycling Bin or displayed info, please ask them about it.

If you would like to be involved in this or other environmental projects in Caledon, we at CCC would love to hear from you. You can reach us at info@citizensforacleancaled

on.org or 905-58GREEN (905-584-7336). EVENTS