There are many products we use and discard every year that are vital to our modern day life. When I went on a school campus cleanup with my Boy Scout troop, I saw many items strewn about that were recyclable. There were plastic bottles and pieces of paper lying around everywhere In school, we had many assemblies on recycling, on where to put the plastics and paper and cardboard. My parents always keenly separated recyclable and compostable materials from other trash. However, there are still many items that are not properly disposed of in our society. Plenty of hazardous materials are thrown straight into the trash without second thought, such as batteries and electronics. Many organic materials that could be composted aren’t.

I researched more about how recycling is very important. 7 Billion dollars are wasted each year from discarded batteries; not even 5% of lithium-ion batteries are recycled. We throw away billions of batteries every year. Batteries should not be thrown in the regular trash and sent to the landfill. They can contain harmful substances like lead that can leach into the ground, and eventually even our drinking water. Recycling batteries also reduces carbon dioxide pollution. Other electronic products need to be recycled as well. Only 12.5 % of e-waste is recycled by Americans, and for every one million cell phones that are recycled, 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered. There is currently no federal legislation mandating recycling batteries, and California is the only state that has such laws in place. Even still, many batteries and electronics end up in the landfill. Another area in which improvement is needed is composting. Around one third of California’s 39 million tons of waste that ended up in landfills could have been composted. Composting helps recycle organic materials that otherwise are wasted.

We only have one earth, and we need to take care of it. Our earth should be kept clean, for both our sake and for future generations. I started RecyclAble to address the often missed issues in recycling. RecyclAble’s goal is to help more people recycle or compost and spread awareness. Every person can help with their environmental impact. This may not just be recycling or composting, but could also mean buying more energy efficient products. We partner with local recycling plants, businesses, and schools to connect used batteries to safe disposal areas. We also help collect other electronic trash for proper disposal, like old cell phones. Join RecyclAble to help our community recycle and contribute to a more sustainable and Eco-friendly society.

-Ayan Bhatia, founder

Community Partners