Battery Box: A Useful Onramp For The Battery Recycling Cause
More and more we are seeing people become aware of just how important it is to recycle old or used batteries. The campaigns being run by sites such as Earth911 and Call2Recycle, among many others who promote the need to keep batteries out of our landfills, do wonders in educating the public when it comes to this cause. In 2008 alone, Call2Recycle brought in a staggering 7 million pounds of rechargeable batteries for recycling, nearly a 10% increase from 2007. With that said, there is still plenty of work to be done when it comes to promoting the cause of battery recycling, and any ‘onramps’ to the battery recycling highway can only be seen as a positive. Hence, the Battery Box.
The Battery Box, designed by the folks at Monkey Business, is a 2-level tin container made to look like a battery and serve as a way to keep the importance of recycling your old batteries ever-present on your mind. The Battery Box sells for $11, making it an inexpensive way to help the environment.
The Battery Box is a fairly simple concept, but sometimes simple concepts prove themselves to be the most effective onramps. And when it comes to battery recycling, this is a cause that can use any and every onramp available.
Don’t forget to recycle your batteries!
Category: Battery Resources
I’m unsure how the Battery Box helps the environment when Earth911 and Call2Recycle already provide free recycling drop off locations in one’s neighborhood. Does purchasing a $11 tin do something to recycle the batteries once the tin is filled? Are part of the proceeds donated to environmental causes?
Could one simply take their old rechargeable batteries to a nearby drop off location listed on either Earth911 or Call2Recycle to recycle? Any simple box or bag would work the same to collect used batteries at home or office. In addition, the collection boxes provided by Call2Recycle include safety plastic bags to prevent the metal terminals of used batteries from touching each other or any other metal object in transit. This prevents undue discard if metal terminals touch. The Battery Box tin does not include that safety feature.
The Call2Recycle box is located in tens of thousands retail and community locations where consumers might go to purchase replacement rechargeable batteries or cordless electronic products. The boxes are shipment prepaid and pre-addressed so once full, the retail clerk simply hands it to a UPS (US) or Purolator (Canada) for outbound ground shipment.
While it’s a cute tin, the Battery Box doesn’t provide easy, free recycling of used rechargeable batteries the way Earth911 and Call2Recycle have already established.