Alachua County Leads The Charge To Recycle Rechargeable Batteries.

The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation recognizes community’s outstanding recycling efforts

GAINESVILLE, July 17, 2001 – Cited for its ongoing and innovative recycling programs, the Alachua County Household Hazardous Waste Program will receive the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation’s (RBRC) first annual Regional Community Recycling Leadership Award.  The award will be announced on Tuesday, July 24, during the Alachua County Commissioner’s meeting at 10:30 a.m.  An official award ceremony will take place at the Leveda Brown Environmental Park and Transfer Station in Gainesville at 12 p.m.
 
Receiving the award on behalf of the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department will be Chris Bird, Director; John Mousa, Pollution Prevention Manager; and Kurt Seaburg, Hazardous Waste Coordinator.
 
RBRC is a nonprofit, public service organization dedicated to recycling rechargeable batteries.  RBRC was founded in 1996 and headquartered in Gainesville until 2000, when the company relocated to Atlanta.
 
Since RBRC’s inception, Alachua County has actively participated in RBRC’s battery recycling program.  Some of the county’s initiatives include curbside collection, battery recycling brochures, recycling center tours, participation in the RBRC school curriculum program, public service announcements and mobile collection sites.  In 2000, Alachua County collected over 1,200 pounds of rechargeable batteries, making it one of the nation’s leaders in rechargeable battery recycling.
 
“It’s great to see communities committed to recycling rechargeable batteries,” said Ralph Millard, Executive Vice President of RBRC. “As the former home of RBRC’s headquarters, Alachua County has always been incredibly supportive of the RBRC program, and we couldn’t be more pleased to return ‘home’ to recognize the community for all their hard work.”
 
Rechargeable batteries are found in a variety of portable electronic products, ranging from cellular phones to cordless power tools to laptop computers.  As the number of those products increases, so does the amount of batteries used to operate them.
 
“It’s important to remember that if you choose to upgrade a product powered by rechargeable batteries – like a cellphone or a power drill – to remove and recycle the battery,” Millard continued.  “It’s easy to do, and we could all learn a lesson from Alachua County’s notable efforts to educate their community.”
 
About the RBRC Regional Community Recycling Leadership Award
The RBRC Regional Community Recycling Leadership Award was established to recognize RBRC community program participants for their outstanding efforts in rechargeable battery recycling.  This is the first year the award has been given.  Earlier this year, RBRC also recognized Hennepin County in Minnesota for their recycling efforts.

To find out more about local community recycling programs, you can call Kurt Seaburg of the Alachua County Household Hazardous Waste Department at 352/ 334-0440.  Consumers can call
1-800-8-BATTERY or go to www.rbrc.org or to find the nearest rechargeable battery drop-off location.

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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

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