Cambridge VA Branch

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

– Robert Swan

Mission of the project

The mission of this project is to reduce the amount of unsafe electronic waste in the world.

Join us to protect a healthy environment!

1 Million Batteries - Our Introductory Event

Our first project focused on recycling batteries. We held several collection events at local schools.

One big challenge we faced was that we are a virtual school, which means the students and parents don't come to school very often. Since we got a late start it took a while to collect many batteries. The Administration and staff were very helpful and enthusiastic in helping us collect the batteries once we figured out what was needed. For this event, we set up a collection box at the front office and made flyers to send out electronically, which the staff did for us. We sent out a few reminders that the collection boxes were available. Students were challenged by grade level to win a party at the end of the year. Again being virtual made this party a special challenge since students were not on campus regularly so organizing a party was difficult especially during the weeks of school when our event ended. What did we do? Well luckily, the winning grade was the 8th grade and they had planned a drivethrough promotion, so we joined that celebration and brought some cookies and chips that were delivered to the students in their cars. Since this was also book return day for them, almost the whole grade attended. Congratulations 8th Graders! You're on the way to making our world a better place to live.

Batteries: Small Size - Big Problem

Small Size- Big Problem

We started with what seemed like a small project- just collecting batteries, but found out there was so much more to it.

Most batteries are small in size and may not appear to be particularly harmful. Toxic chemicals are being eliminated in batteries, but many are still in use. For example, mercury is still used in very small button-style batteries. The problem is batteries are made in the billions with around 180,000 tonnes of batteries being discarded in the USA every year.

Recycling Regulations and Batteries

Many local councils and authorities have joined together with battery manufacturers to develop battery recycling schemes. These schemes divert used batteries from going to landfills and send them to either be recycled or disposed of safely. Recycling involves breaking the batteries down and recovering the material contained within for reuse. In instances where the battery cannot be recycled, they are disposed of in a way that means the toxic chemicals cannot enter the environment. In some instances, this involves encasing the batteries in concrete. To find out more about your States Battery Recycling Regulations find your state on this map from Call2Recycle.

Batteries are Hidden Everywhere

Batteries are found in nearly everything we use.

Kitchen: as rice cookers, timers, thermometers, instant pots, scales, bread makers ...

Bedroom: Stuffed Animals that talk or light up, Alarm clocks, fire alarms...

Living Rooms: Electronic toys, LED candles, remote controls, vacuums, radios,

Health Care: hearing aids, thermometers, sales, monitors

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”

– Native American Proverb

Toxic Heavy Metals Kill

Batteries are made from a number of different materials. These materials include acid, lead, nickel, lithium, cadmium, alkaline, mercury, and nickel-metal hydride. When batteries are not properly disposed of the casing can disintegrate and the toxic chemicals within can leach into the surrounding environment. These leaking materials can contaminate the soil and water and some of the elements can accumulate in wildlife and humans.

“There is no such thing as ‘away’. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere.”

– Annie Leonard, Proponent of Sustainability

Just like your digital footprint can never be erased, your electronic footprint will always follow you. Make sure you are careful ith how you use and recycle batteries.

Take Action and Join Us!

JOIN OUR 1MB CAMPAIGN!

DID YOU KNOW?

Prevent Fires by Recycling Batteries Properly

Batteries ignite about 3-5 fires per month at the solid waste facility. Most of them are extinguished while they are still small, but all fires have the potential to be disastrous. The fire pictured below happened in August 2018. A well-meaning community member tossed a battery in the recycling bin, hoping to recycle it. At some point during transport or processing, the battery caused a spark, setting the surrounding paper and cardboard ablaze. A quick-thinking recycling worker noticed smoke and jumped into the bulldozer to push the inferno outside. First responders arrived and helped to stifle the flames before they spread to the building. You can help prevent fires by keeping batteries out of the trash and conventional recycling bins.

Photo of firefighters battling the Larimer County Lithium ion Battery fire. Firefighters hosing down the Larimer County LIB fire after the combusted pile of recyclables was moved outside. Photo courtesy of Larimer County Solid Waste Department.

Lithium-ion Batteries (LIBs) are already present in a wide array of applications, and their prevalence is increasing. As devices containing these batteries reach the ends of their useful lives, they will contribute to the surging number of waste LIBs produced.

Unfortunately, currently many LIBs are disposed of in inappropriate ways, creating major problems for waste management facilities.

Fires in these locations pose a direct threat to reliable waste management services, environmental quality, and human health.

LIB fires can also introduce financial pressures, raise costs to households, and lead to furloughs or layoffs

Benefits of Battery Recycling

Reduction in waste sent to landfills
Conservation of natural resources, such as metals and minerals
Helps prevent pollution by reducing the need to collect new, raw materials
Saves energy spent on refining virgin materials
Reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change
Helps sustain the environment for future generations
Helps create new, well-paying jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries in the United States
Once the materials are recycled they can be reused in making new products

Battery Do's and Don'ts

Dos

Whenever possible, remove the battery from the device.
If the batteries are physically damaged, store them in an insulated plastic bag to avoid any short-circuiting.
Keep them in a cool and dry place to avoid combustion.
Bring them to a recycling center that can safely deal with the hazardous materials they may potentially contain.

Don'ts

Never dump used batteries into your regular waste.
Don't crush or pierce the batteries as this can lead to leakage or short-circuiting.
Don't store large quantities of li-ion batteries close together without capping or taping off exposed connectors.
Never throw li-ion batteries in the regular blue recycling bin.
Don't keep old batteries close to flammable materials.

Our Biggest Event

In conjunction with the Oxford Academy Branch, we hosted a Battery Collection Event at Cerritos College. The College students were encouraged to donate by their instructors who offered them extra credit. These college students went to work on the collection with enthusiasm. Overall, almost 30,000 batteries were recycled from this event. The students were so happy to find out where they could bring their used batteries.

The Challenge of Collecting and Rewards at a Virtual Academy

Cambridge Virtual Academy faced extra challenges in our school drive and class awards because students rarely came to campus. Additionally, the school has fewer than 200 total students so getting volunteers on short notice was even more challenging. We left grade-level shoe boxes at the front office, for the last 3 weeks of school. The school staff sent out notices to all students and parents. The 8th-grade class won the event by donating over 2000 batteries. During the last week we joined in the 8th-grade Drive-through Promotion event giving them extra goodies as an award for doing a great job.

Team Work for the District

Concerts in the Park

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse