http://www.recycle.net/content/index.html

Why is this study important?• There is a growing demand for batteries due to the

rapid increase in cordless, portable products. • Because many batteries contain toxic constituents

such as mercury and cadmium, they pose a potential threat to human health and the environment when improperly disposed.

• Although batteries make up only a tiny portion of municipal solid waste (1%), they account for a disproportionate amount of the toxic heavy metals in landfills (54% cadmium).

Hypothesis

• Rhodes students consume enough batteries that awareness needs to be raised about the harmful effects of improperly disposed batteries

• By raising awareness we can encourage students to recycle their batteries and save money through the use of rechargeable batteries

• Ultimately, this is both economically and environmentally sound

Research Design

• Research: On the web to learn about the differences between non-rechargeable and rechargeable batteries. EPA laws and requirements in regards to safe handling/storage.

• Encourage: Rhodes community to recycle used batteries and to purchase rechargeables, thus increasing the sale of rechargeables while diminishing the numbers of batteries in landfills and costs for students.

• Implementation and setup:a. Establish recycling program

- acquire recycling bins- place six bins at various locations on campus with signs- have bins picked up on May 3rd - Physical Plant transports bins to recycling plant on May 11th

b. Establish contract between Rhodes bookstore and distributor of rechargeable batteries

- determine distributor, type, and cost of batteries- encourage students to purchase rechargeables and chargers

How many appliances do you own which use batteries?

• CD player• Walkman• Power drill• Flashlight• Calculator• Pager• Alarm Clock• Radar Detector

                                                                                

                        

        

                        

        

Types and Usage of Batteries

• Alkaline- good for high drain devices and offer long run-time. Composed of nonhazardous steel, zinc, and manganese (CD players)

• Lithium-ion- recommended for extremely power-hungry devices (digital cameras)

• Nickel Metal Hydride- found in rechargeable batteries and can be reused 1000 times!

Battery Recycling SurveyBellingrath

• How many batteries are currently in your electronics? (CD players, walkmans, clocks, remotes, cameras, calculators)

4 batt 6 batt 7 batt 8 batt 9 batt 10 batt 12 batt 14 batt

6 6 5 9 1 7 4 1

Survey Results:# of People Surveyed = 39Total # of Batteries Currently in Electronics = 308Avg # of Batteries per person = 8

More Survey Results of Bellingrath

• Given you were on any floor of this dorm, would you be willing to walk to the first floor to recycle your batteries?

Yes = 29 No = 10

• Would you purchase rechargeable batteries and a charger at the Rhodes bookstore if you knew it would save you money?

Yes = 23 No = 16

Battery Recycling SurveyWhite

How many batteries are currently in your electronics? (CD Players, walkman, clocks, remotes, cameras, calculators)

4 batt 6 batt 7 batt 8 batt 9 batt 10 batt 12 batt 14 batt

3 3 0 5 0 2 4 2

# of People Surveyed = 19Total # of Batteries Currently in Electronics = 166Avg. batteries / person = 9

More Survey Resultsof White

• Given you were on any floor of this dorm, would you be willing to walk to the first floor to recycle your batteries?

Yes 12 No 7

• Would you purchase rechargeable batteries and a charger at the Rhodes bookstore if you knew it would save you money?

Yes 8 No 11

Conclusions from Survey• Since there was not a strong willingness of the

students to recycle their used batteries, we concluded that students need to be educated on the benefits of recycling, in turn giving them an incentive to recycle.

• Furthermore, students were hesitant to buy battery chargers and rechargeable batteries because they did not know what the economic benefits were.

• Setup of Battery Recycling Program in conjunction with Physical Plant, Carol Ekstrom, ACS, and students. Bins placed in areas of high student/staff activity on campus.

Cost of 2 AA Batteries in CD Player Used 5 Hours/ Week for 1

YearCost Per Battery

Battery Life

Annual Cost

Cost in Landfill

Alkaline $0.75 14 hrs $28.5038

batteriesRechargeable $3.00 900 hrs $7.00

< 1 battery

One year’s worth of wear on rechargeables consumes less than 30% or about $1 worth of the battery’s life.

VS.

How important is Recycling?

• If every student on campus (1100) recycled their batteries (on average 8/student), and each battery weighs 27 grams…

• We would save 237.6 kg (522 lbs) that goes into the landfill!!

Recommendations• Further study should be conducted

to determine the following: sales of rechargeables; effectiveness of bin locations; student willingness to recycle; effect of student education on recycling.

• Orientation education for recycling in general, including batteries. Encourage students to save batteries during the semester to place in bins.

• Expand to include computer batteries, cell phone batteries, and watch batteries.

References

• Rhodes Bookstore-Mary Kay Martin

• Physical Plant– Brian Foshee

• Carol Ekstrom• Carol Casey• Bette Ackerman• Universal Waste Act- 1995• EPA`

• epa.gov/gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/state/policy/p1104.txt

• energizer.com• Epa.gov/epaoswer/

nonhw/reduce/epr/products/batteries.html