By Andrew Dobbs, Texas
Campaign for the Environment
Today,
November 15, is America Recycles Day. While most of us have access to good
curbside or drop off recycling, and many states now require computer and TV
makers to take back and recycle used electronics, inside much of our e-waste
are single-use batteries–and unfortunately, there is still no take-back program
for those batteries.
One
company is the main obstacle to moving forward on battery recycling – Rayovac.
That’s why recycling advocates across the country are using this America
Recycles Day to tell Rayovac that it’s time to Take ‘Em Back!
Rayovac actually has the
audacity to tell US consumers to throw batteries in the trash while telling
European customers that this is harmful to the environment. The four major
battery makers were all set to begin a national recycling program for
single-use batteries two years ago until Rayovac backed out. Energizer,
Duracell and Panasonic are all on board. So it’s up to all of us to tell
Rayovac: America Recycles, Why Not Rayovac?
Take time this week of America
Recycles Day to send messages to Rayovac and let them know it’s time to change.
1.
Tweet at @Rayovac that you want recycling
here in the US just like they get in Europe and elsewhere. Use the hashtags
#AmericaReyclesDay and #takeitbackrayovac, and retweet our messages on this
topic.
2.
Go “Like” Rayovac on Facebook and post a message or a comment on their page
telling them that they need to stop lagging on recycling. They are
erasing consumer messages critical of the company, so make sure you also post
to your own timeline, highlighting @Rayovac so that they’ll know that the
public is hearing all about their failures to lead.
Here are some ideas of what to
tell them:
· America Recycles, Why Not
Rayovac?
· We won’t accept your
double standards. It’s time to provide Americans with battery recycling like in
Canada and Europe.
· Energizer, Duracell and
Panasonic all support battery recycling. Why not Rayovac?
· Why do you offer battery
recycling in other countries, but not in the U.S.?
· Why do you tell your
customers in Europe that throwing away batteries can harm the environment, but
tell Americans that it’s safe to throw them away?
· Thousands of consumers
have asked you to step up and offer real recycling for your products: when will
you act?
· As the holiday buying
season approaches, I will be taking Rayovac’s record on recycling into
consideration when choosing which batteries to buy for my family.
Ten years ago computer and TV makers were dead set against providing real recycling to
their consumers. Now, a decade later these companies provide this service
and are committed to recycling. With your help we hope to turn Rayovac in the
same direction so that all of us might have convenient access to recycling for
all of our products. Thanks, and Happy America Recycles Day!
