Rethinking Batteries with ReWorks

by Marcie E. Kress, Executive Director, ReWorks

If you take a quick glance around, you can likely find at least one item that is battery-powered.

Whether they are single-use batteries that must be replaced or embedded batteries that must be recharged, they all eventually become ineffective and stop functioning, leaving you to decide how to dispose of them.

While different types of batteries have different disposal solutions, there is one rule that applies to all batteries: do not place batteries into your home recycling cart. Batteries placed in home recycling carts can cause a lot of damage to the vehicles collecting and hauling the recyclables. They also can cause fires at material recovery facilities where the recyclables are sorted and baled. Making sure batteries are never placed in your home recycling carts can help keep you, others, equipment and our environment a little safer.

Once you start noticing items powered by batteries, it can seem like they are everywhere. ReWorks wants to help you feel empowered to make informed decisions about how to safely handle and dispose of batteries. Visit summitreworks.com/batteries for an overview of battery recycling best practices as well as multiple disposal options.

To find local solutions to manage your batteries, visit call2recycle.org/ or batteriesplus.com/recycling.

Additionally, ReWorks accepts batteries of all kinds from Summit County residents during our seasonal Household hazardous waste collections. The batteries must be generated from personal use within your Summit County household and cannot be from organizations you are affiliated with (schools, businesses, faith-based organizations, etc.)

Items with embedded batteries are also accepted at ReWorks during HHW collections. Items like electric toothbrushes, ear buds, key fobs and vapes have batteries that can be inaccessible or challenging to remove and contain harmful chemicals that may ignite when punctured or crushed. Do not try to remove batteries from these items. Simply bring them to ReWorks during HHW collections.

ReWorks 2024 Household Hazardous Waste Collections for Summit County residents occur every Thursday, from 2-7 p.m., from June 6 through Sept. 26. Collections will not take place on Thursday, July 4. For more information on acceptable materials visit: summitreworks.com/hhw.

ReWorks, the solid waste management authority for Summit County, provides programs, services, and community outreach on waste reduction, recycling, and other materials management strategies. For more information, visit summitreworks.com, call 330-374-0383 or email us at: talk@summitreworks.com.

Marcie E. Kress, Executive Director, ReWorks

Sponsored by

ReWorks

2711 West Market St. Unit 13620, Fairlawn, OH 44333
www.summitreworks.com • 330-374-0383

Opinions and claims expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of ScripType Publishing.