|
Milwaukee, WI - Remy Battery is offering $10 for every used automotive sized lead-acid battery turned in at one of its two Milwaukee-area locations during the month of May. The battery retailer is currently running a coupon advertisement in area newspapers for the special promotion. Although Wisconsin law allows retailers to charge a $3 fee for accepting a used car battery, Remy is instead paying customers a premium price for all lead-acid batteries in an effort to promote the importance of battery recycling and to encourage people to properly dispose of those used batteries sitting in their garages and basements.
"We believe it is our social responsibility to make sure lead-acid batteries are properly recycled," explains Mike Moeller, president of Remy Battery. "When improperly disposed of, batteries can leak toxic heavy metals into the environment. If they end up in landfills, they can leak those heavy metals slowly into the soil and ground and surface water - posing serious health risks for humans and animals." He continues, "If incinerated, certain metals may be released into the air or concentrated in the ash produced by the combustion process. All of these effects are harmful to us and the environment," he says.
Fortunately recycling lead-acid batteries is one of the greatest success stories of the environmental movement. "Automotive and other lead-acid batteries have the highest recycling rate of any product in the U.S." Moeller shares. "More than 95 percent of all batteries put into services are sent back for recycling. And of those that are recycled, 99 percent of the materials in them are re-used in new batteries or other products." He continues, "The lead is re-used in new batteries, the sulfuric acid is used for fertilizers and the polypropylene cases are ground up to become new cases for new batteries."
The statistics on battery lead recycling are impressive. According to information on the Battery Council International website ( www.batterycouncil.org), "More than 97 percent of all battery lead is recycled. Compared to 55 percent of aluminum soft drink and beer cans, 45 percent of newspapers, 26 percent of glass bottles and 26 percent of tires, lead-acid batteries top the list of the most highly recycled consumer product."
Moeller explains that Remy Battery offers this special pay-per-spent-battery promotion several times per year. "We last ran this offer in February of this year, and it was extremely successful. Since then, we've been getting a lot of calls from individuals and businesses asking us to repeat the promotion." He continues, "It's rare for a business to make recycling hazardous material not only easy, but profitable for a customer."
Moeller estimates that Remy recycled close to 200,000 lbs. of hazardous materials during its recent February promotion. "Every week, we delivered a full semi-trailer of used batteries to an EPA-approved recycling facility," he recalls. "Each truckload held up to 45,000 lbs of batteries. In one month, we made sure a significant amount of toxic materials were properly recycled and kept out of the environment," Moeller summarizes.
Moeller can't emphasize enough the importance of the closed-loop life cycle of a lead-acid battery. "Today, the typical new lead-acid battery contains 60 to 80 percent recycled lead and plastic," he shares. "When a customer trusts us with a spent battery, we send it to an EPA-approved recycler where - under strict environmental regulations - the lead and plastic are reclaimed and sent to a new battery manufacturer." He adds, "This recycling cycle goes on indefinitely. That means the lead and plastic in the lead-acid battery in your car, truck, boat or motorcycle have been - and will continue to be - recycled many, many times."
Remy Battery's May recycling promotion was just featured on the May 10 airing of Phil Cianciola's PhilCast. The veteran Milwaukee reporter took advantage of the offer to earn $30 by turning in three spent batteries at Remy earlier this month. Cianciola invited Moeller on his popular podcast to discuss battery recycling and Remy's May recycling offer.
"Phil was impressed that Remy would offer a cash promotion like this with no strings attached," Moeller notes. "He saw firsthand that we work very hard to get our recycling success story out to the public, so that everyone understands that Remy Battery is socially responsible and has been properly handling and recycling lead-acid batteries for decades."
While the May promotion focuses on lead-acid batteries, Remy Battery accepts all battery types for free recycling year-round. "We will always accept your spent batteries free of charge and deliver them to EPA-licensed recycling centers," he says. "Anyone can bring any type of battery - including NiCad (nickel-cadmium), NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) and Lion (lithium-ion) - into any of our locations at any time - no purchase necessary - and be assured that it will be responsibly recycled."
He adds, "Of course this month, our Milwaukee locations will pay you $10 for every automotive sized lead-acid battery you bring in."
There is no limit on the number of lead-acid batteries that may be redeemed during this special May promotion. A coupon is required. Coupon advertisements are running regularly in the Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel and the newspaper's ShopNOW local circular.
For more information on battery recycling or Remy Battery, call 414-384-0340 or visit www.remybattery.com. | 
