Large Michigan businesses, especially manufacturers, are already required to have a policy in place for recycling batteries and electronics. Individuals are exempt from these requirements, and yet American consumers throw away more than three billion batteries each year.
That’s a lot of toxic waste flowing into our air, water, and soil. It’s also an awful lot of materials which could be salvaged and reused.
And even if Michigan consumers are exempt from recycling requirements, many residents still want to do their part.
So what stops them?
Convenient options can be difficult to find. These customers are willing to step up, but they can’t exactly call the major e-waste companies, who typically only want to pick up waste in bulk.
And convenience isn’t the only consideration for these consumers. If it were, they’d just go to the nearest Best Buy.
Many consumers are aware some recyclers don’t truly recycle. Some dishonest e-waste companies opt instead to resell electronics overseas. At that point, unscrupulous salvagers use poorly paid labor to pick them over for precious metals. Often, these laborers work in deplorable, unsafe conditions in countries with no minimum wage requirement.
Thus, customers want both the assurance they’re doing the right thing and an easy way to get it done. They need someone to provide a local drop-off site they can trust. They need to be able to talk to the people at their drop-off site about who will be picking up their waste, and what will happen to it after they walk away. And while big box stores like Lowes and Best Buy do offer some sort of drop off location, these personal connections and the assurances that comes with them aren’t available from these juggernauts.
Local, independent electronics and battery retailers have what it takes to step into this gap.
Of course, doing so isn’t as simple as throwing down a cardboard box and inviting customers to toss their old batteries inside. Setting up a successful recycling program takes a little bit of work, research, and communication.
First, the retailer must find a reputable e-waste company or organization to partner with.
Call2Recycle is a good one. They already offer a “become a partner” program to retailers across the country. They have over 30,000 locations in the United States, which includes several right here in Michigan. They’ve made it easy for retailers to build a bridge between consumers and e-waste companies. They hold to some of the highest standards in order to make sure what they collect ends up truly recycled. They have a no-landfill policy, whether those landfills are stateside or overseas.
Then the retailer must communicate to customers that they are willing to accept battery and electronics waste at their location. Communicating the integrity of the company they’re working with is also helpful.
Finally, they’ll have to make sure this waste is properly handled and delivered into the hands of their partner organization.
Local stores with hands-on owners can not only reassure conscientious customers of their good faith efforts, but they may also personally encourage customers who don’t normally think about these issues to bring their old electronics or batteries in while they’re picking up new ones. Customers who are willing to go into a brick-and-mortar store, rather than ordering online, do so because they have an existing relationship with the store. This can be leveraged to help them remember to do the right thing.
Thus, a vital partnership is formed between recyclers, members of the community, and the local stores which serve them. This partnership can allow thousands of batteries and old electronics to be responsibly handled each year, keeping them out of our landfills.