City’s efforts in recycling rechargeable batteries are recognized
PHOENIX, January 13, 2006 – The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), a nonprofit public service organization dedicated to recycling rechargeable batteries and cellphones, recognizes the City of Phoenix as the winner of its 2005 “National Community Recycling Leadership Award.” RBRC will present the award on January 13 to Councilman Claude Mattox at Phoenix City Hall, Assembly Room A at 2:00 PM.
Striving to become a role model for recycling, the City of Phoenix enrolled in the RBRC program in 2003 to further enhance its already successful environmental collection and education programs. In conjunction with the Office of Environmental Programs (OEP), the City of Phoenix has created an efficient rechargeable battery collection program and has incorporated the RBRC message in various city department recycling programs, extending to other government agencies throughout Arizona.
As a part of its participation in the RBRC program, the City of Phoenix is involved in the following initiatives:
- Development of educational materials distributed throughout various city departments;
- Ongoing public education outreach through the OEP Web site, including specific information about its partnership with RBRC and a specific Web link to the OEP “Pollution Prevention Tree” that addresses the importance of recycling rechargeable batteries and cellphones;
- Promotion of the RBRC partnership through “EnviroNotes,” a bi-monthly environmental newsletter and distribution of a monthly flyer on rechargeable battery recycling for all OEP employees;
- Inclusion of RBRC in the “Hazardous Materials Management Program,” an environmental handbook consisting of city policies and operation procedures for how hazardous waste should be managed citywide.
To date the City of Phoenix’s efforts have resulted in the collection of over 8,200 pounds of rechargeable batteries
“The battery recycling program is a great partnership between the City of Phoenix and RBRC,” said Lupe Buys, for City of Phoenix, Office of Environmental Programs. “We use eight departments within the city to collect unwanted or unusable rechargeable batteries while RBRC pays for the processing costs to recycle them. This program is of great benefit to the community and the environment.”
“It is through community efforts like those demonstrated by the City of Phoenix that we continue to develop new and innovative ways to make it easy to recycle used rechargeable batteries and cellphones,” said Ralph Millard, Executive Vice President, RBRC. “Our shared goal is to continue to educate consumers and program participants about the importance, and ease, of recycling rechargeable batteries and cellphones.”
The RBRC Community Recycling Leadership Award recognizes RBRC community program participants each year for their outstanding efforts in rechargeable battery and cellphone recycling. This year, the City of Phoenix was awarded the National Community Recycling Leadership Award, and the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLH/BPS) in Washington D.C., the University of Minnesota Department of Environmental Health and Safety (DEHS), the Missouri State Recycling Program, and the City of Hamilton and the Regional Municipality of Halton, Canada were recognized with Regional Community Recycling Leadership Awards.
The RBRC rechargeable battery recycling program is available to communities and public agencies without any associated fees. There are currently over 500 local communities that have signed on to recycle rechargeable batteries in the U.S. and Canada. For more information on implementing a community recycling program, contact RBRC toll free at 877-723-1297 or go to www.rbrc.org.
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About Call2Recycle®
Call2Recycle is the industry’s first and only product stewardship program for rechargeable batteries. The nonprofit program is administered by the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), a public service organization dedicated to rechargeable battery recycling. There are more than 30,000 Call2Recycle drop-off locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. More than 175 manufacturers and marketers of portable rechargeable batteries and products show their commitment to conserve natural resources and prevent rechargeable batteries from entering the solid waste stream by funding the Call2Recycle program. In pursuit of its mission, Call2Recycle also collects old cellphones, which are either recycled or refurbished and resold when possible with a portion of the proceeds benefiting select charities. For more information, call 877-2-RECYCLE or visit www.call2recycle.org.
JAN