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Local organization recognized for its efforts in recycling rechargeable batteries

PENSACOLA, June 22, 2007 – The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), a nonprofit public service organization dedicated to recycling used rechargeable batteries and old cellphones, recognized the Escambia County Department of Solid Waste Management with a 2006 “Regional Recycling Leadership Award” on Thursday, June 21st. RBRC presented the award to Environmental Analyst Paul Stevens at the Board of County Commissioners Meeting, Board Chambers, located in the Escambia County Governmental Complex.

Since joining the RBRC Call2Recycle™ program in 2000, the Escambia County Department of Solid Waste Management has successfully instituted a year-round rechargeable battery collection campaign at the county’s local solid waste management facility in addition to hosting various community recycling awareness events. Continuous community support has helped the Escambia County Department of Solid Waste Management successfully promote the mission and goals of RBRC in Florida. In 2005, the Escambia County Department of Solid Waste Management’s efforts resulted in the collection of over 4,500 pounds of rechargeable batteries.

As part of its participation in Call2Recycle, the Escambia County Department of Solid Waste Management is involved in the following initiatives:

• Ongoing public education outreach through carefully placed radio, television, newspaper and billboard advertisements throughout the year, as well as distribution of press releases
• Inclusion of rechargeable battery and cellphone recycling information on fliers distributed to local schools
• Extensive community outreach through four quarterly regional Household Hazardous Waste Round-Up events where hazardous household items are collected free of charge
• Regular community tours of local Perdido landfill, complete with educational materials highlighting RBRC and recyclable materials
• Promotion of the RBRC program and other environmental programs through interactive community Web site

“The Call2Recycle collection program is a great partnership between the Escambia County Department of Solid Waste Management and RBRC,” said Paul Stevens. “We use our facility and staff to collect unwanted or unusable rechargeable batteries and cellphones while RBRC pays for the processing costs to recycle them. This program is of great benefit to both the community and the environment.”

“It is through efforts by groups like the Escambia County Department of Solid Waste Management that we continue to develop new and innovative ways to make it easy to recycle used rechargeable batteries and old 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 Recycling Leadership Award recognizes RBRC community program participants each year for their outstanding efforts in rechargeable battery and cellphone recycling. This year, RBRC awarded the National Recycling Leadership Award to the Holloman Air Force Base and the Alberta Environment, Action on Waste program in Canada. Additionally, RBRC awarded three other Regional Recycling Leadership Awards to the New York City Police and Fire Departments, Illinois Department of Corrections and the Marion County Department of Public Works – Environmental Services.

The RBRC rechargeable battery and cellphone recycling program is available to communities and public agencies without any associated fees. There are currently over 5,000 local communities that participate in the Call2Recycle program throughout U.S. and Canada. For more information on implementing a 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.