Miami Herald: On Recycling Batteries: What Happened to Service?
Filed under: Earth 911 - October 5, 2007
Q: Action Line: A long time ago, we had monthly recycling of old batteries. The service doesn’t seem to exist anymore. I know it’s important that batteries be disposed of properly and not placed with the regular garbage or trash. What’s the best way to do that?
Virginia Kevorkian,
Pembroke Pines
A: Batteries contain a variety of toxic heavy metals, such as mercury and lead, so they should be disposed of carefully. According to www.earth911.org, Americans throw out 180,000 tons of batteries every year. Environmental organizations, such as the Sierra Club, would prefer manufacturers took responsibility for recycling their products instead of putting the burden on consumers. One solution is to get together with like-minded neighbors, co-workers and friends to purchase a ”Big Green Box,” fill it with any type of household battery and/or small appliance (cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, for instance) and ship it back to Toxco, a California company that recycles batteries and electronics; a prepaid box costs $57.86 and holds up to 43 pounds of batteries. That price includes all shipping, handling and recycling costs. Learn more at www.biggreenbox.com, 714-278-9211.
In Broward, batteries can be taken to household hazardous waste collection sites. On Fridays and Saturdays, you can take them to the northern site at 2780 N. Powerline Rd. in Pompano Beach or the southern site at 5601 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd. in West Park. The central collection site in Davie (5490 Reese Rd.) is only open on Saturdays. For more information, visit www.broward.org/waste or call the recycling hotline, 954-765-4999.
In the parts of Miami-Dade served by the county’s Department of Solid Waste Management, household batteries, including AA, AAA, C, D, 9-volt, button and rechargeable batteries can be put out with the curbside recycling collection on the first recycling day of each month. The department says they must be in a clear ”zip-top” plastic bag, which should be closed and placed on top of your newspapers. Loose batteries or batteries that are too big to fit the bag WON’T be collected.
If you live in a municipality not served by the county, contact your city hall.
If you live in an apartment complex or condo, you must take them to the nearest household chemical waste drop-off site. Call 311 for locations or check www.miamidade.gov/dswm.