Exciting additions to the transfer station.

There are 2 new additions to the transfer station that I am very excited about.  The first is a Community Bulletin Board located in the area for paper/cardboard and plastic recycling.  Anyone can add something to the board.  If you want to make it even easier you can email me at lalaith2014@gmail.com an item and I can print it out and add it to the board.  

The second addition is a new battery/phone and ink cartridge recycling area.  

It is VERY important that NO batteries go into the trash.  Please bring me all batteries as I have started to recycle the transfer stations batteries through Batteries Plus Bulbs out of West Lebanon. 

 https://www.batteriesplus.com/t/recycling.  I will bring the batteries once a month to be recycled.

There are many reasons to recycle and not throw away batteries.  Batteries are made of valuable refined resources and chemicals. Lead, cadmium, zinc, lithium and mercury.  Every battery I bring will be taken apart and these materials will be recovered and used to make new batteries or something else.  If you toss them in the compactor at the transfer station you just throw away these resources.  Specific batteries are illegal to dispose of in the waste stream.  

Recycling batteries is good for the environment .  Most of the elements listed above are toxic and it is far better to keep them out of our waste stream and landfills as heavy metals can leak into the ground water.

Identifying batteries can be difficult so leave that to me : ) Just bring me a battery you want to dispose of and I will bag it appropriately (except car batteries) to be brought to be recycled.  Car batteries at this time are picked up by a different vendor to be recycled.  You should still tell the transfer station staff you have a car battery and you will be told where to place it.  

A quick overview of batteries for your reading pleasure  ; )

Alkaline Batteries. These are your standard non-rechargeable batteries including AA, AAA, 9V, D-cell and others. These are the batteries inside your TV remotes, flashlights, children’s toys and other small electronics.  Prior to 1994 these single use batteries contained mercury and were considered hazardous waste.  Button cell batteries should never be thrown in the trash they are hazardous these are often found in watches.  In all states but California you can throw these directly into the waste stream BUT why would you when they can be recycled : )

Non Rechargeable Lithium.  Tough to distinguish from Alkaline.  Read the fine print or sometimes the only way to tell that they are not alkaline is the word alkaline isn't present on the battery.  I will need to insulate these batteries to store when I receive them.

Lithium Ion. These rechargeable Lithium batteries are commonly found in computers, phones and cameras.  By 2020 there were over 10 billion things that used these and by 2025 they expect over 62 billion things to use these types of batteries.  It is very important that these batteries are not thrown a way in the waste stream as they have the potential to catch fire.  Bringing to the transfer station attendant who will store it correctly and then have it recycle is the best course of action.

Nickel Cadmium Rechargeable.  Power tool batteries and household rechargeable batteries are mostly Ni-Cd.  Most can be identified by recessed terminals.  Again these can be recycled. 

Lead Acid. These are typically vehicle batteries.  Because of the lead, and the ease with which it is disassembled  these are the most sought after batteries in the recycling market.  

Carbon Zinc.  This s a less common household battery and often very difficult to identify as they never actually say "Carbon Zinc".  Often they will say "super heavy duty" or "long life".  

Remember we will also take thermostats, thermometers, switches, relays, and or any mercury containing device.  It is important to have it disposed of correctly so just bring it to me and DON'T THROW IT AWAY!!!!!!!!!!

Again I cant stress to the members of the community enough even if you do not use the transfer station batteries can be brought here please do not throw them in your trash cans.  This is actually a very simple thing we can do as a community to keep our water safe.  If you wouldn't throw it in your backyard where your kids play make sure you either bring it to the transfer station to be properly disposed of or the many local events for household hazardous waste to be dropped off.  

If you are concerned about what you can or cannot throw in the waste stream please reach out to me at lalaith2014@gmail.com.  I would love to be of help in any way I can.