Chicago Kicks off Battery Recycling Program

The city of Chicago is introducing a new household battery recycling program. To boost the collection of household batteries the city will be putting containers at all Chicago Public Libraries, as well as Walgreens drugstores.

All common dry cell batteries can be recycled, including alkaline, rechargeable, and other common types. Wet cell batteries, like car batteries, will not be accepted with this program.

Funding for the City of Chicago's battery recycling program has been provided in part through a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

The batteries collected through the program will be shipped to Battery Solutions Inc., a national battery recycling company headquartered in Brighton, Mich.

A representative from Battery Solutions, says the company takes in all types of batteries, from appliance and cellular phone batteries to lead acid batteries. At the Michigan plant the company sorts out the different batteries, depending on the chemical composition of each of the batteries.

The company markets the material nationally from its Michigan operations.