It is time to tackle Recycling

 
Look at your neighborhood recycle carts on trash day. You may see items like hanging pots with plants in them, patio canopy poles, vacuums, chairs, household items with cords and many more items that do not belong in the recycle cart. It is painfully clear we have a lack of recycling knowledge from not only residents but our local towns and cities and from the federal government as well.
Take the case of batteries, all kinds. There is no shortage of conflicting messages on what to do with your dead alkaline batteries, which include AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt. Governments and battery makers do not have consistent and clear policies for disposing of the alkaline batteries that power many of our small electric devices like remote controls, flashlights, clocks, and toys. They even differ depending on where you live. 

In Framingham, our recycle wizard instructs residents to trash alkaline batteries. Rechargeable and phone batteries should be dropped off at the recycle center and not in the trash or in the recycle carts. Laptop batteries are to be held until the annual hazardous waste day collection and are banned from recycle and trash carts as are lithium batteries.
Lithium batteries have been blamed for recycle fires across the country. And just like EV car fires, lithium battery fires are extremely hard to extinguish, cause extremely toxic fumes and the water run off pollute the surrounding areas.  
Typical alkaline batteries like AAs contain steel, zinc, manganese, potassium, and graphite, according to Energizer, which sells alkaline batteries. Energy is generated when the zinc and manganese interact.
The Environmental Protection Agency acknowledges that in most communities’ batteries can be safely put in the trash. But it recommends sending your alkaline batteries like AAs to a battery recycler. This does not necessarily mean you can throw the batteries in your regular recycling cart.  

Massachusetts currently does not have state battery regulations in place.
The Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act, or simply Battery Act, was signed into law in 1996. This law created regulations for the processes of disposing of and recycling batteries. By recycling your used Alkaline batteries, you are not only doing what’s right for the environment and your community, you are also following the law.
 

The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, created the Universal Waste Regulation to make clear the safest processes for recycling batteries and other potentially toxic products. Batteries contain heavy metals, acids, and other toxic substances that, if not properly disposed of, can leak into the environment, and wreak havoc on your surroundings.
When all else fails (and if you are particularly committed), Call2Recycle sells special boxes for batteries and some e-waste that you can ship back to them. You could even set one up in your local community and start your own mini program.
 

A huge exception to this is California, which classifies batteries as hazardous waste. The state says they are hazardous because of the metals, toxic and corrosive materials that batteries contain. Residents are instructed to take all batteries to hazardous waste disposal facilities. No other state also classifies batteries as hazardous, but some local governments call for recycling batteries and have programs to do so.
According to California officials “tossing a handful of batteries in the trash may not seem like a big deal, but it adds up: around 180,000 tons of batteries are discarded in the U.S. every year.”
Our state could help the situation by following California’s lead in labeling all batteries hazardous waste and requiring residents to recycle them in appropriate ways.
 

I call on the Mayor and City Council to form a recycling/trash task force to take a realistic look at the future of recycling and trash removal in our city. By 2030 all landfills in this state will be closed. Tipping fees will certainly double or triple in the next few years. Recyclers will be charging more principally because we just do not hold our residents to any reasonable recycling standards. We may even have to sort our recyclables ourselves before too long. On this 2023 earth day lets commit Framingham to be a part of the solution by educating residents on proper recycling measures.