ATLANTA, Aug. 6, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The back-to-school shopping frenzy has begun and parents' lists contain more electronics than ever. These products that power-up going back to school, such as laptop and tablet computers, use rechargeable batteries. When these batteries need to be replaced, the discarded ones should be recycled. Fortunately, recycling batteries is easy and convenient via retailers that partner with Call2Recycle®, the only no-cost rechargeable battery and cellphone collection program in North America,
Nearly 60 percent of parents will purchase some sort of electronic device, up from 52 percent last year according to a recent survey for the National Retail Federation conducted by BIGinsight. Leading electronics retailers like RadioShack (NYSE:RSH) confirm the trend. "Back-to-school now represents the third largest technology shopping occasion for RadioShack customers, topped only by Black Friday and Cyber Monday," said Paul Okimoto, vice president of marketing and media for the company.
Call2Recycle has over 30,000 drop-off locations for recycling rechargeable batteries across the country. Many of these sites are national and regional retailers such as RadioShack, Staples, The Home Depot, Best Buy and Lowe's. When visiting a participating store shoppers can simply carry the used battery with them to turn in there.
"Today's students keep connected to their education on-the-go with mobile technology. Batteries play an essential role," said RadioShack's Okimoto. "It's just as essential to responsibly dispose of batteries when the time comes, and shopping for new technology is a great opportunity to do that. Call2Recycle and RadioShack have helped consumers recycle more than five million pounds of batteries."
The nearest battery collection site can be found on www.call2recycle.org.
About Call2Recycle
Call2Recycle is the only free rechargeable battery and cellphone collection program in North America. Since 1996, Call2Recycle has diverted over 70 million pounds of rechargeable batteries from the solid waste stream and established a network of 30,000 collection sites throughout the U.S. and Canada. Advancing green business practices and environmental sustainability, Call2Recycle is the most active voice promoting eco-safe reclamation and recycling of rechargeable batteries and cellphones. It is the first program of its kind to receive the Responsible Recycling Practices Standard (R2) certification. Founded in 1994, Call2Recycle is a non-profit organization. Learn more at call2recycle.org or 877-723-1297. Become a follower or fan at twitter.com/call2recycle or facebook.com/call2recycle.
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