ORLANDO, September 23, 2009 –Call2Recycle®, the only free rechargeable battery and cellphone collection program in North America, and the non-profit Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) have released the results of a study on battery recycling metrics. The report, “Battery Performance Metrics: Recommendations for Best Practice,” examines differing ways that stewardship performance is gauged and offers guidance that policy makers, manufacturers and program participants can use to evaluate and strengthen battery collection initiatives.
Currently, governments and businesses use a variety of methodologies to calculate collection and participation rates. These different methodologies result in discrepancies in reported metrics and the perceived success of programs. Call2Recycle and PSI hope this report will open a dialogue that leads to common metrics and greater access to data to evaluate the performance of battery collection programs.
“Our collection program has earned substantial recognition from municipalities, retailers and consumers alike, yet we still seek measures to help us continually improve our program and fulfill our mission to protect the environment,” said Carl Smith, president and CEO of RBRC, which operates Call2Recycle. “Our goal is to influence stakeholders to agree on a set of appropriate performance metrics and establish processes that will standardize measurement for many organizations committed to collecting and recycling products.”
“Measuring performance is critical to collecting and recycling more batteries,” said Scott Cassel, executive director of Product Stewardship Institute. “This study is meant to motivate all key stakeholders to reach a consensus on performance measures with an emphasis on a collection rate target supported by convenience measures, per capita collection rates and wider sustainability metrics.”
Call2Recycle and PSI support the assembly of an advisory panel of experts to research, discuss and seek consensus on measuring performance, setting ambitious performance goals, and maximizing battery collection and recycling. The Battery Performance Metrics report
About Product Stewardship Institute
The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) works to ensure that all those involved in the lifecycle of a product share responsibility for reducing its health and environmental impacts. PSI’s members include 45 US states, more than 100 local governments, and more than 50 businesses, environmental groups, and organizations. www.productstewardship.us
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