Recycling Association of Minnesota

Minnesota Helps Lead the Charge on National Battery Day

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Minnesota Ranks Fourth on Call2Recycle’s 2018 Top 10 Battery Recycling States

ATLANTA, GA, February 18, 2019 – Call2Recycle®, the country’s first and largest consumer battery recycling program, applauds Minnesotans for leading the charge on National Battery Day and ranking as one of the nation’s top 10 battery recycling states by collecting more than 193,000 pounds of batteries. Overall, U.S. consumers recycled 7.2 million pounds of batteries last year through the Call2Recycle program.

“Since the inception of the Call2Recycle program, Minnesotans have diverted more than 3,242,000 pounds of batteries from landfills and helped make the environment of Minnesota cleaner and safer,” said Call2Recycle Executive Vice President of External Relations, Linda Gabor. “With consumers relying more and more on battery-powered devices, National Battery Day is the perfect reminder that batteries and other electronics are an important part of the recycling picture.”

“Minnesota has actively participated in the Call2Recycle program for many years, and we are proud that Minnesota citizen’s commitment to responsibly manage batteries once they no longer power their devices, has placed us 4th in the nation for recycling these materials,” said Brita Sailer, executive director of the Recycling Association of Minnesota. “Today on National Battery Day, and every day, we encourage everyone to recycle their spent batteries and to spread the battery recycling message.”

Before recycling, consumers should review tips on how to safely prepare their batteries. It’s as easy as 1-2-3:

  1. Protect: Batteries can be bagged or taped to provide protection. You can tape the positive terminal with non-conductive electrical, duct or clear packing tape OR individually place batteries in plastic bags (non-grocer).
  2. Store: Keep batteries in a cool place, avoiding metal containers. Try to recycle within six months.
  3. Recycle: Use the Call2Recycle locator to find a nearby drop-off location. 85 percent of Minnesota residents live within 10 miles of a drop-off site.

Since 1994, the Call2Recycle program has diverted and recycled more than 115 million pounds of batteries from U.S. landfills.