“This is great news for our residents, our community, and our environment,” said the manager of environmental services, David Kerr. Batteries contain heavy metals like mercury and cadmium, and anything we can do to help keep these metals out of our landfills or from contaminating the environment is positive. City officials are estimating the initial curbside pickup could result in the collection of as much as 8,000 pounds of batteries. Later this spring and summer, residents of the municipality will receive a clear, specially-marked bag to place their old batteries into and leave them with their curbside paper recycling for pickup during a special collection day in September. The batteries that will be accepted include:

• Standard A, AA, AAA, C, D batteries (both alkaline and "heavy duty")
• 6-volt (often used in lantern batteries)
• 9-volt batteries (often used in smoke alarms)
• Button cells (typically used in watches, toys, electronics, greeting cards, calculators)
• Rechargeable battery packs - NiCad, NiMH, or Lithium Ion (often used in laptop computers, cellular phones, power tools, etc.)

“There is no limit to how many batteries residents can put out, so we are encouraging everyone to store any used household batteries they have between now and September” so that they may be part of the free pickup, said Heather Dzurko, waste management operations supervisor. “The more we can keep out of our landfills, the more capacity we create and the better for the environment,” added Mr. Kerr. “With the community’s support, we know this will be a great initiative.”

If the pilot proves successful, the city will look at expanding the program to two curbside collection dates (spring and fall) in subsequent years. You’ll find out more details about the program when the city confirms the September pickup date.