7 ms·

Not only that, but disposal is painful. In my city i have to drive to the disposal centre 30-45 mins away on a specific day of the month. So yeah, naturally pe

by verelo 3y ago

Not only that, but disposal is painful. In my city i have to drive to the disposal centre 30-45 mins away on a specific day of the month. So yeah, naturally people don’t do that.

shiftpgdn 3y ago
In my city we have these big clothing donation bins in the corner of the parking lot at most major strip malls: Example: https://patch.com/img/cdn/users/82019/2013/06/raw/d5b33608431a84fa591b7ec996012dea.jpg https://patch.com/img/cdn/users/82019/2013/06/raw/d5b3360843... With scrap batteries being worth 5-50 cents per pound it would be worth just sticking a handful of these, but labeled as "used battery drop off point" in high visibility areas. It won't stop people from maliciously throwing away batteries but would remove the lazy factor.
- NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
  I hate to break it to you, but "clothing and shoe donation" bins in mall parking lots are generally commercial enterprises, rather than non-profits or charities, and I suppose people get good feels from dropping off there while they're shopping, but the community would be better served if you gave direct to a charity such as St. Vincent de Paul Society Thrift Stores. As for scrap batteries being tossed into a bin at a mall, I'm not seeing that end well. It is more or less trivial to look up recycle facilities in your area and take stuff to the appropriate drop-off. Personally, I take eWaste into Best Buy or Staples, and my own city government runs a large recycling center that will take almost anything. https://earth911.com/ https://earth911.com/
  - LiquidInsect 3y ago
    That website lists at least two locations near me that no longer exist, and the entries show they were last updated over 12 years ago.
  - mr_toad 3y ago
    > It is more or less trivial to look up recycle facilities in your area and take stuff to the appropriate drop-off. It’s far from trivial if you don’t own a car, which is probably part of the problem in NYC.
wahnfrieden 3y ago
I go to Best Buy or Ikea
- jackmott42 3y ago
  Best Buy may not take them if the battery is visibly damaged. I tried to dispose of a laptop with swelled battery and was refused.
- verelo 3y ago
  In my case, both are the same distance, but you're right their hours are better!
stevehawk 3y ago
same. my local drop off is one day a month at the local prison which is ~25 minutes away. and commercial store that takes items for recycling is twice that distance.
- travisporter 3y ago
  Wow i'm curious why prison?
  - SAI_Peregrinus 3y ago
    Slave labor, most likely.
  - stevehawk 3y ago
    I assume because it's "next door" to the landfill, so a lot of the logistics is already nearby. It also doesnt interfere with a bunch of civilians showing up and getting in the way of large, commercial trucks and regular landfill traffic.

by verelo 3y ago

Not only that, but disposal is painful. In my city i have to drive to the disposal centre 30-45 mins away on a specific day of the month. So yeah, naturally people don’t do that.

shiftpgdn 3y ago

In my city we have these big clothing donation bins in the corner of the parking lot at most major strip malls: Example: https://patch.com/img/cdn/users/82019/2013/06/raw/d5b33608431a84fa591b7ec996012dea.jpg https://patch.com/img/cdn/users/82019/2013/06/raw/d5b3360843... With scrap batteries being worth 5-50 cents per pound it would be worth just sticking a handful of these, but labeled as "used battery drop off point" in high visibility areas. It won't stop people from maliciously throwing away batteries but would remove the lazy factor.

NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
I hate to break it to you, but "clothing and shoe donation" bins in mall parking lots are generally commercial enterprises, rather than non-profits or charities, and I suppose people get good feels from dropping off there while they're shopping, but the community would be better served if you gave direct to a charity such as St. Vincent de Paul Society Thrift Stores. As for scrap batteries being tossed into a bin at a mall, I'm not seeing that end well. It is more or less trivial to look up recycle facilities in your area and take stuff to the appropriate drop-off. Personally, I take eWaste into Best Buy or Staples, and my own city government runs a large recycling center that will take almost anything. https://earth911.com/ https://earth911.com/
- LiquidInsect 3y ago
  That website lists at least two locations near me that no longer exist, and the entries show they were last updated over 12 years ago.
- mr_toad 3y ago
  > It is more or less trivial to look up recycle facilities in your area and take stuff to the appropriate drop-off. It’s far from trivial if you don’t own a car, which is probably part of the problem in NYC.

wahnfrieden 3y ago

I go to Best Buy or Ikea

jackmott42 3y ago
Best Buy may not take them if the battery is visibly damaged. I tried to dispose of a laptop with swelled battery and was refused.
verelo 3y ago
In my case, both are the same distance, but you're right their hours are better!

stevehawk 3y ago

same. my local drop off is one day a month at the local prison which is ~25 minutes away. and commercial store that takes items for recycling is twice that distance.

travisporter 3y ago
Wow i'm curious why prison?
- SAI_Peregrinus 3y ago
  Slave labor, most likely.
- stevehawk 3y ago
  I assume because it's "next door" to the landfill, so a lot of the logistics is already nearby. It also doesnt interfere with a bunch of civilians showing up and getting in the way of large, commercial trucks and regular landfill traffic.