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RBRC recognizes program participants for their leadership in recycling rechargeable batteries throughout the U.S. and Canada

ATLANTA, February 6, 2007 – The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), a non-profit public service organization dedicated to recycling used rechargeable batteries and old cellphones, announced today the recipients of its sixth annual “Recycling Leadership Awards” with regional recipients selected from various parts of the U.S.. Additionally, two organizations – one in the U.S. and the other in Canada received the “National Leadership Award.” Both the national and regional awards recognize RBRC’s community and public program participants for their outstanding efforts in rechargeable battery recycling through the Call2Recycle™ program.

2006 National Recycling Leadership Award Recipients

The following groups were recognized on a national level for their participation in the Call2Recycle program:

Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), Alamogordo, New Mexico:
Since joining the RBRC program in 2001, Holloman AFB has played an instrumental role in the recycling of rechargeable batteries in New Mexico. Holloman AFB was recognized not only for being the largest volume participating base in the RBRC program in 2005, but also for having assisted in enrolling 10 additional AFB locations into the RBRC program, including: Altus AFB, Mountain Home AFB, Malstrom AFB, Barksdale AFB, Buckley AFB, Langley AFB, Los Angeles AFB, Canon AFB, Cheyenne Mountain AFB, and Sheppard AFB. Holloman Air Force Base also received the Federal Facility Recycling Program of the Year Award from the New Mexico Recycling Coalition in 2005.

To date, Holloman AFB has collected a total of 6,500 pounds of rechargeable batteries. In 2005,
the base collected more than 2,300 pounds. Plus, the ten new bases have recycled an additional 2,187 pounds since their enrollment.

Alberta Environment, Province of Alberta, Canada:
To encourage the recycling of rechargeable batteries and cellphones, in 2005, Alberta Environment worked in partnership with the RBRC to conduct a six-month (May through October) call-to-action campaign, targeting potential participants in RBRC’s Call2Recycle program. The initiative involved direct calls, information and postcard mailings to municipalities, manufacturing, industrial, construction, hospitality and the environmental sectors throughout the province. As a result, 41 new sites from communities, public agencies and business were signed up during the campaign, joining 70 existing collection sites to realize an overall collection of 14,200 pounds of rechargeable batteries and cellphones, an increase of +37.5% over the previous year.

2006 Regional Recycling Leadership Award Recipients

The following groups were recognized on a regional level for their participation in the Call2Recycle program:

Escambia County Department of Solid Waste Management, Cantonment, Florida:
Since joining the RBRC 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 resulting in the collection of over 4,500 pounds in 2005. Additionally, the Department of Solid Waste Management has conducted extensive community outreach through ongoing quarterly Household Hazardous Waste Round-Up events where hazardous household items are collected free of charge. The Department also has conducted regular community tours of the local Perdido landfill complete with educational materials highlighting the RBRC program. Furthermore, the County also includes rechargeable battery and cellphone recycling information on fliers distributed to local schools.

Marion County Department of Public Works –Environmental Services, Salem, Oregon:
Continuous community support has helped the Marion County Department of Public Works – Environmental Services promote the mission and goals of RBRC in Oregon, since they enrolled in the RBRC program in 2003. In 2005, Marion County’s efforts resulted in the collection of
over 7,100 pounds of rechargeable batteries. The program has been a success as a result of a curbside recycling program whereby designated recycling bins are provided to county residents for the disposal of batteries and other hazardous materials. In addition, there are nearly 20 participating stores and 2 transfer sites where individuals can also drop off their used rechargeable batteries.

New York City Police and Fire Departments (NYPD/FDNY), New York, New York:
Both the NYPD and FDNY have been enrolled in the RBRC Call2Recycle recycling program since 2005, as part of their ongoing efforts to enhance their already successful environmental collection and education programs. A focal point of the two departments is collecting two-way radios, which are key to their communications, and laptop batteries, as the majority of the police cruisers now come equipped with laptop computers. In 2005, the two departments collected a combined total of over 7 tons of rechargeable batteries, with the NYPD credited with 11,092 pounds and the FDNY credited with 3,366 pounds.

The efforts of the two groups is especially notable since they were “green ahead of their time,” and actively collecting rechargeable batteries prior to the Local Law 97, which went into effect on December 1, 2006. According to the new law, consumers in New York City are banned from disposing of rechargeable batteries as part of their regular solid waste. Additionally, all retailers in New York City are required to collect used rechargeable batteries from their customers.

Illinois Department of Corrections, Springfield, Illinois:
Since joining the RBRC program in 2002, the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) has instituted a successful statewide enrollment program with 16 strategically-placed collection locations for rechargeable batteries in correction department radio shops. Program coordinators are working to expand collections to other departments throughout the IDOC as well. In 2005, the efforts of the IDOC resulted in the collection of over 2,100 pounds of rechargeable batteries. As part of its participation in the RBRC program, Call2Recycle, the IDOC provides information to all of their radio shops, where they generate the spent batteries. IDOC operates 28 correctional centers as well as various work camps, boot camps, and adult transition centers.

“RBRC is pleased to recognize the outstanding efforts of our various community and public recycling programs. The Call2Recycle program has achieved great success thanks to the dedicated recycling coordinators and project leaders who have encouraged their communities to
proactively protect the environment,” said Ralph Millard, Executive Vice President, RBRC. “We hope to expand the number of participating local programs in the near future and to educate the residents of every region on the importance of rechargeable battery and cellphone recycling.”

The RBRC rechargeable battery recycling program is available to communities and public agencies without any associated fees. There are currently over 5,000 communities and public agencies that have signed on to recycle rechargeable batteries in the U.S. and Canada. For more information on implementing a recycling program, contact RBRC toll free at 877-2-RECYCLE 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.