THUNDER BAY – Often at Christmas time, there are countless toys that need batteries, but to be environmentally smart and safe, putting those used batteries in the right place afterward is important. Now, the City of Thunder Bay has partnered with Thunder Bay Public Library to offer residents new options for recycling household batteries. The initiative kicked off at the Waverley Resource Library Branch today. There are now five new convenient drop-off locations where residents can safely dispose of used batteries.
The program accepts non-rechargeable single use batteries (9-volt, D, C, AA, and AAA) as well as rechargeable batteries. These types of batteries contain elements that are hazardous to the environment and should be disposed of safely. Batteries collected in the new bins will be shipped to a metal recovery plant where the reusable and recyclable elements can be separated.
The addition of these drop-off locations makes recycling more readily accessible and will help keep batteries out of the garbage. All four branches of the library have well marked Battery Collection Bins set up at their locations and staff at the Circulation Desk can direct residents to the bin in their branch. A battery bin has also been established in the VictoriaVille Civic Centre near the Cashiers Wicket.
Spent batteries are also accepted at some retail locations. For a complete list of collection sites the Green Guide booklet is available at www.thunderbay.ca/recycle. For more information about battery recycling, check out the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation’s web site at www.rbrc.org.
“VictoriaVille Civic Centre and the Thunder Bay Public Library Branches are great locations for battery drop off bins,” said Jason Sherband, Coordinator Solid Waste Diversion & Recycling. “The easier it is to safely dispose of hazardous waste the more participation will increase.”