Feb 28 2008
The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), a nonprofit, public service organization dedicated to recycling used rechargeable batteries, today announced the recipients of its seventh annual "Recycling Leadership Awards." This year's participants recognized for their exceptional recycling efforts with RBRC's Call2Recycle(TM) program include: the City of Los Angeles; COGERNO (New Brunswick, Canada); Hennepin County (Minnesota); Montgomery County (Maryland); the City of Austin (Texas); and Marine Corp Base Camp Lejeune (North Carolina).
The Recycling Leadership Awards recognize RBRC's community and public program participants for their exceptional efforts in rechargeable battery recycling through the Call2Recycle program. The awards are divided into regional and national categories with four U.S. regional award winners and two national award winners -- one from the United States and one from Canada.
"Call2Recycle's success is very closely related to the success of our community and public recycling partners. RBRC is proud to recognize several outstanding programs that have made significant contributions to the growth of the program," said Linda Gabor, Director of Marketing & Media Relations, RBRC. "We hope that participation among these groups continues to increase and that more local programs will engage their communities through outreach and education on the importance of rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling in helping to protect our environment."
2007 National Recycling Leadership Awards Recipients
The following groups were nationally recognized participants in the Call2Recycle program:
City of Los Angeles; Los Angeles, California
Since joining the RBRC program in 2005, the City of Los Angeles has collected more than 39,000 pounds of rechargeable batteries through the Call2Recycle program, with more than 15,500 pounds collected in 2006 alone. The City of Los Angeles Department of General Services promotes recycling and waste minimization to all city departments, which encompasses approximately 40,000 employees at more than 400 facilities. Strategically placed RBRC collection boxes in the lobbies of select city buildings make the recycling program accessible to both the general public and city employees. Key to the program's success are efforts to raise awareness among city employees for the different recycling options available to them, as well as an emphasis on education that includes training sessions for employees and refresher courses for participating city departments.
COGERNO (Commission de gestion enviro ressources du Nord-Ouest); Province of New Brunswick, Canada
Continuous community involvement has helped COGERNO promote the mission and goals of RBRC in Canada and collect more than 2,300 pounds of rechargeable batteries since it enrolled in the program in 2005. The combination of extensive promotion at community events and workshops, school education and the distribution of collection containers at convenient locations across the region has enabled COGERNO to recycle nearly 750 pounds of rechargeable batteries through the RBRC program in 2006. COGERNO's participation in RBRC has helped enhance the regional waste management recycling strategy, creating added environmental benefits and financial savings to their overall program.
2007 Regional Recycling Leadership Awards Recipients
The following groups were recognized on a regional level for their participation in the Call2Recycle program:
Hennepin County Environmental Services; Minneapolis, Minnesota
As RBRC's largest community collection program, Hennepin County Environmental Services has been an important driver in rechargeable battery recycling in Minnesota, collecting more than 165,000 pounds of rechargeable batteries since 1994. With more than 22,000 pounds collected in 2006, the efforts of this community are largely successful due to an extensive public outreach and education campaign. Program participation has had a significant impact on the community's waste stream, with Hennepin County providing battery collection opportunities through county collection sites, curbside collection in the city of Minneapolis, two year-round permanent collection facilities and various event collection opportunities.
Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste - Hazardous Waste Program; Derwood, Maryland
The Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste joined Call2Recycle in 2003 and has successfully implemented a rechargeable battery collection program at the county's household hazardous waste stations. These efforts resulted in the collection of more than 6,300 pounds of rechargeable batteries in 2006. The Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste Services Web site specifically targets consumer batteries and links to RBRC's Web site so that consumers can return their rechargeable batteries to the most convenient collection locations, as well as through the county's household hazardous waste stations. RBRC's free Call2Recycle program results in significant avoided costs for the county.
City of Austin, Household Hazardous Waste Management Program, Department of Solid Waste Services; Austin, Texas
A Call2Recycle participant since 2004, the Austin Department of Solid Waste Services has collected more than 13,000 pounds of rechargeable batteries. The department has a comprehensive education program designed to build and maintain awareness regarding the importance of recycling used rechargeable batteries, as well as the ability to recycle them at either the Household Hazardous Waste recycling center or approximately 30 participating retail locations. In addition, a staff presence at community events such as the Green City Festival and Green Garden Expo, as well as department-sponsored electronics collection events, has helped spread the word about rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling throughout the Austin metro area. These combined efforts resulted in the collection of more than 2,800 pounds of rechargeable batteries in 2006.
Marine Corp Base Camp Lejeune Environmental Management Division; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
Marine Corp Base Camp Lejeune's Environmental Management division operates a successful rechargeable battery and cell phone collection program at the base's hazardous waste facility for naval departments and base residents, which collected more than 5,300 pounds of rechargeable batteries in 2006. Four Environmental Compliance Coordinating Officers help spread awareness of the program throughout the base on a regular basis, and residents are advised to check their belongings for hazardous waste, including rechargeable batteries, when they move on and off the base.
RBRC's Call2Recycle program is available to communities and public agencies without any associated fees. There are currently more than 6,000 communities and public agencies enrolled in the program in the U.S. and Canada. For more information on implementing a recycling program, contact RBRC toll free at 877-2-RECYCLE or visit: https://www.call2recycle.org/