Recycle your household batteries!

First published on January 1, 2007

So I made this pledge on changeeverything.ca to spread awareness about different types of recycling. It seems like the site has worked on me, because now I feel like I have to come through! This post isn’t much, but it’s a start.

So, batteries. Non-rechargeable batteries from your household items can (and should) be recycled! The same goes for rechargeable batteries that have lost their power after multiple charges (such as lithium, Ni-Cd, Ni-MH) from things such as cordless phones. Just keep an ongoing collection and drop it off once in a while. Here are some drop spots or sites to find drop spots in the Vancouver / Lower Mainland area.

-IKEA, near the exits!

-Call2Recycle, where you can search the database for places to drop off rechargeable batteries. London Drugs and The Source by Circuit City are the bigger chains in the database. And who better to be your “mascot” (well, he’s not really a spokesperson) then Al Borland

– Future Shop (thanks to Dee for the tip)

– Alternative disposal locations from the City of Vancouver, where you’ll find a list that includes many other items, such as propane tanks, tires, and computer equipment. For some items you have to pay to have them recycled (a government subsidy would be nice).

– If you’re in Delta, you can drop off your batteries at all recreation and leisure centres. More details here. Thanks to Robert for the tip.

Know of any other places in the Lower Mainland that will recycle batteries? Let me know!

Previously I made a post talking about using custom Google maps for useful community-based implementations. So… who’s going to use that to map out places to recycle batteries?

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This entry is filed under Environment, Vancouver / BC / Canada and written by Peter Keung. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

8 Responses to “Recycle your household batteries!”

1. January 1st, 2007 at 9:30 pm
   Julia says:

   Thanks Peter! This is a useful issue and one I have wondered about on an off but never bothered to look up….

2. January 2nd, 2007 at 12:25 am
   Deena says:

   Radioshack, or what is now known as The Source used to accept recycled batteries. I’m not sure if they do anymore. I asked them previously what they did with the batteries and they said they just keep them b/c there wasn’t a feasible method of recycling them. I wonder if that’s the case now.

   Also Safeway recycles Plastic Bags!!! People should use that more often, and stores should stop using them!

3. January 28th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
   Stacy says:

   Hi Peter,
   I read about your aim to spread the word about recycling options on ChangeEverything.ca and I thought maybe we could help each other out. I have a recycling/fundraising project in the workds using old seasonal cards. Check it out at http://www.changeeverything.ca/start_a_recycling_project_that_raises_cash_for_a_non_profit
   or see my blog. (I’ll be blogging your site too if you don’t mind!)
   Cheers and good luck,
   S

4. July 20th, 2008 at 11:38 am
   ruth says:

   Im looking for somewhere to take all the cd hard plastic containers as my cd’s are in jackets now. Any ideas?

5. July 20th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
   Peter says:

   Hi ruth, if you have a lot of CD cases, post them up on buyandsell.com, craigslist.org or Facebook (if you have an account). If someone else can put them to good use, then that’s even better than recycling.

6. March 27th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
   Richelle says:

   Thanks, Peter!

7. May 4th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
   Rand Heiberg says:

   We at Nu-life have been recycling Waste Batteries ( and Used Fluorescent Lamps which contain MERCURY ) in Aldergrove,BC. since 1995. We accept ALL types. Call (604) 857-5588 for info.

8. July 13th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
   robert campbell says:

   all types of household batteries can be recycled in Delta at all recreation and leisure centres

   Reply from Peter: Very useful tip! Thanks!

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