Responsible Recycling Event for Lithium Ion Batteries
You may have some old phones, laptops, and other rechargeable devices containing lithium-ion batteries that you’re wondering what to do with — cell phones, laptops, tablets, power tools, electric toothbrushes, wireless headphones, vaping devices, and any other rechargeable device with a lithium-ion or nickel metal hydride battery.
Consumer devices contribute to the world’s fastest-growing waste stream. Americans spend trillions on electronics and discard hundreds of millions of devices every year.
Very few devices are recycled responsibly, so households who do recycle make a significant, positive impact.
The Pilot Knob Rotary Club and the Advanced Placement Environmental Science students of Guyer High School as well as their teacher Stephanie Riley are collaborating on their second annual lithium-ion battery collection event. The event is under the auspices of the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group.
Together, they are working with Redwood Materials, a lithium-ion battery recycler in Nevada. Their CEO is J.B. Straubel, former Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Tesla, who is passionate about protecting the environment and reducing the environmental impact that comes from mining materials used in electric vehicles and consumer devices.
Whether a laptop or an electric vehicle, lithium-ion batteries source the same elements on the periodic table. What’s perhaps even more incredible is that these metals can be recycled almost infinitely! Metal atoms don’t change or degrade, and so old devices can become new EVs without any trade-offs to performance or battery life.
Redwood can recover over 95% of the critical minerals and rare earth elements from these batteries. Redwood’s goal is to make consumer recycling frictionless and free so that the public can responsibly recycle and maximize overall sustainability of all products.
Please note that we’re only after lithium-ion and nickel metal hydride batteries and rechargeable devices. Redwood Materials will recycle them free of charge! Please don’t bring your alkaline batteries.
Rotary Clubs are working all over the US to educate and facilitate lithium-ion battery recycling. The students at Guyer High School created a short video highlighting the importance of our project. Scan the QR code below to view it and feel free to share it in your social circles:
The event will be held April 19, 10 am – 2 pm, at Guyer High School’s Parking Lot B, 7501 Teasley Ln., Denton, TX 76210.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Mike Weaver:
940.391.9614
mikboy327@gmail.com
You can also find more information at the Pilot Knob Rotary Club website:
See you there!
