RBRC Applauds Californians for Successful Year

Over 440,000 Pounds of Rechargeable Batteries Collected During First 12 Months Under New Legislation

ATLANTA, June 26, 2007 – The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), a non-profit public service organization dedicated to recycling rechargeable batteries and cellphones, today announced the preliminary collection numbers of all California retailers participating in RBRC’s Call2Recycle™ program. The grand total of more than 440,000 pounds includes all rechargeable batteries collected by retailers, communities, public agencies and businesses since the new “Rechargeable Battery Recycling Act of 2006” (A.B. 1125) came into effect July 1, 2006.

The Recycling Act requires retailers that sell rechargeable batteries in the state of California to provide consumers with a free system for returning these batteries for reuse, recycling or proper disposal. The batteries that must be collected include small, non-vehicular Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-ion), and Sealed Lead-Acid (Pb) rechargeable batteries, or battery packs containing such batteries.

“We are quite impressed with the high collection numbers that we have seen by all our California-based program participants,” said Norm England, President and CEO, RBRC. “To obtain results like these just one year out of the gate, it takes a lot of dedication and hard work, and we are proud to have been a part of it.”

The state of California’s successful year can be attributed in part to the increase in participation not only among local and national retailers but also among businesses, communities and licensee recycling programs. Within the past year, retailer participation increased 28 percent, while community, business and public agency participation increased 30 percent. National participating retailers include Best Buy, Circuit City, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, RadioShack, Sears, Target, and many more. In addition, many local retailers have signed up for the Call2Recycle program over the past year, including California-based Fry’s Electronics, Kragen Auto Parts, and Rite Aid (throughout the state).

One noteworthy retailer success story is Sacramento’s Orchard Supply Hardware store that partnered with RBRC on a month-long awareness campaign, which in turn resulted in an increase in rechargeable battery collections of 440 percent versus the same four week period in 2005.

Other successful RBRC initiatives throughout the state include:

  • Public Service Announcements in major CA cities such as: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Fresno, and Bakersfield.
  • 60-second educational commercials aired in numerous markets encouraging rechargeable battery users to drop off their rechargeable batteries at select retailers.
  • Radio and print advertising
  • Event market/public appearances
    • RBRC Mobile marketing unit public appearance to thousands of NASCAR fans at California Speedway, Feb 23-25, 2007, Fontana, CA.
    • Press conference held Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at the San Diego County Administration Center with San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox and the Industrial Environmental Association.
    • Cool the Earth Day event, April 2007, San Diego.
    • Participation in the following tradeshows:
  • International Associations of Electronics Recyclers (IAER) Electronics Summit, May 8-11, 2006, San Francisco.
  • California Resource Recovery Association, Aug. 6-9, 2006, San Jose.
  • California Science Education Conference, Oct. 19-22, 2006, San Francisco.
  • Electric West, Feb. 21-23, 2006, Long Beach.
  • HOMEX Homebuilder 2007 Summit & Expo, Mar. 13-15, Long Beach.

“We are pleased that so many organizations decided to avail themselves of our free and easy recycling program, Call2Recycle,” said England. “All of us at RBRC are ready and willing to assist other California retailers and organizations with implementing a rechargeable battery collection program of their own.”

For more information or to find the nearest participating drop-off location, call 1-877-2-RECYCLE or go online at www.call2recycle.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.

 

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