The Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) recently established a Battery Recycling Program for rechargeable and alkaline batteries. The Agency has partnered with Interstate Batteries in Skokie to provide the recycling at no cost to SWANCC communities, as a corporate product stewardship initiative.
Common household batteries are no longer accepted at Illinois EPA-sponsored household chemical waste events and facilities due to their benign nature and high recycling costs. On the other hand, rechargeable batteries contain heavy metals which pose a threat to our environment, and have a marketable recyclability.
According to Mary Allen, SWANCC’s recycling and education director, “SWANCC receives a high volume of calls each week from residents seeking to recycle common household alkaline batteries instead of throwing them in the garbage. With this program, all types of residentially-generated batteries can be recycled, due to our partnership with Interstate Batteries.”
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Batteries accepted in SWANCC’s program:
- Alkaline: AA, AAA, C, D and 9V
- Rechargeable: NiCd, NiMh, lithium ion, lithium polymer - Before dropping off rechargeable batteries, residents need to tape the contact points on each battery or place in an individual self-locking plastic baggie to avoid sparks.
The following communities are participating – drop-off details are posted at swancc.org:
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Arlington Heights, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Hoffman Estates, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Niles, Palatine, Park Ridge, Rolling Meadows, Skokie, Wheeling, Wilmette and Winnetka.
For more information about Interstate Batteries, visit interstatebatteries.com.
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About SWANCC:
The Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) is an intergovernmental agency that was established in 1988 and is comprised of 23 communities: Arlington Heights, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Kenilworth, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Niles, Palatine, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Skokie, South Barrington, Wheeling, Wilmette and Winnetka.
SWANCC provides member residents a variety of waste reduction and recycling services, programs and resource materials. These include collections for special materials that cannot go into the curbside recycling cart or should not go into the garbage due to toxicity or recoverability, such as: computer and electronics, prescription drugs and sharps, compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, mercury thermometers, athletic shoes, holiday lights and now batteries.
Visit swancc.org for more information.
About Interstate Batteries
For more than 55 years, Interstate Batteries has been in the business of making and recycling batteries. Green is the color of each battery as it signifies the company's commitment to the environment. They work with customers, local and national facilities to recycle or discard batteries in the most environmentally friendly manner possible. Interstate Batteries is a one-stop shopping Center for all types of batteries.
For more information, visit interstatebatteries.com.
