IKEA Serves as Recycling Spot

The South Bayside Waste Management Authority (SBWMA), San Carlos, Calif., has announced a new partnership with an IKEA store to promote the recycling of household batteries, cell phones and other items.

At a press event in December at the IKEA store in East Palo Alto, Calif., the retailer and the SBWMA announced the in-store collection program. SBWMA also provided details on its recently launched curbside recycling collection program for household batteries and cell phones.

“This is a true public private partnership to promote waste reduction and recycling options for certain hazardous materials that are proliferating in the marketplace as consumer electronics and household lighting product sales skyrocket during the holiday season,” says Kevin McCarthy, executive director of the SBWMA. “We want consumers to know that they have convenient options to recycle all the household batteries generated during the holidays.”

“At IKEA, we believe doing good business means demonstrating environmental responsibility on a global and local level,” says Jill Matherson, store manager in East Palo Alto. “Here at IKEA East Palo Alto, we offer our customers the opportunity for free in-store recycling of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). The new recycling program from South Bayside Waste Management Authority adds excitement to our existing community recycling efforts and we are glad to be partnering with them to promote local environmental responsibility.”

Also presented at the conference was information on the SBWMA curbside recycling program for household batteries and cell phones. Residents in single-family homes of SBWMA member agencies (the cities of Atherton, Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Carlos and San Mateo along with unincorporated portions of San Mateo County and the West Bay Sanitary District) can set out household batteries (rechargeable and disposable alkaline types, but no automotive batteries) in a clear plastic bag on top of their mixed paper recycling bin on recycling collection day. Cell phones should be wrapped in paper and placed inside the same clear plastic bag that contains the batteries. Button cells should be taped.

The new curbside recycling program is being funded by the SBWMA. A pilot program was started in the City of San Carlos in March 2007 that has now been expanded to all member agencies throughout central and southern San Mateo County. Since the program’s inception, approximately 17,200 pounds of batteries and cell phones have been collected, according to SBWMA.