BRATTLEBORO-Did you know Vermont now requires that batteries be recycled and can no longer be tossed in the trash? Used batteries up to eleven pounds in Vermont can be returned free of charge to retailers including Staples and Brown and Roberts Hardware, and at the scale house window at Windham Solid Waste Management District's (WSWMD) transfer station on Old Ferry Road.
All types of batteries are accepted in this collection program, including alkaline, rechargeable, and button. Batteries are filled with metals such as copper, nickel, lead, iron, cobalt, cadmium, and lithium. These metals can be recovered from the collected batteries and reused.
"This is your chance to be a part of closing the loop," district spokespersons said in a news release. "By recovering these metals from your used batteries, it reduces the need for mining more of these natural resources."
Battery collection sites prepare batteries for shipping by placing clear tape over the ends of some batteries or in clear plastic bags to prevent terminals from touching as a safety precaution. Once at the processing center, batteries are separated by their type and chemical makeup and recycled into new items, such as stainless steel, golf clubs, silverware, sunscreen, road asphalt, and new batteries.
This initiative is part of a state product stewardship program which requires manufacturers to plan and pay for the future recycling and disposal of hazardous products; this is called "extended producer responsibility." The battery recovery program in Vermont is overseen by Call2Recycle.
WSWMD participates in other extended producer responsibility programs, including mercury-containing light bulbs, mercury thermometers, paint, and electronics. Many households' hazardous products will be added to this list over the next couple of years. According to the news release, details of the upcoming producer responsibility program expansion are still being ironed out.
For more information on product stewardship programs, visit windhamsolidwaste.org or call programs coordinator Peter Gaskill at 802-257-0272, ext. 118.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.