Batteries Plus, Green Bay Packers launch battery recycling initiative

Specialty battery retailer Batteries Plus, Hartland, Wisconsin, is partnering with the Green Bay Packers to launch a new battery recycling initiative, backed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The partnership aims to reshape battery recycling efforts across the country.

The initiative will include the implementation of visible recycling stations at Batteries Plus stores in Wisconsin, as well as an interactive booth at Lambeau Field that will showcase and educate consumers on how to properly recycle batteries. Charlotte, North Carolina-based Cirba Solutions, a longtime Batteries Plus partner, will help facilitate the recycling process. Batteries Plus says it will encourage Packers fans to visit their stores to recycle their old and used batteries.

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Batteries Plus also is launching recycling contests with local schools, with the winning class from the selected school winning an exclusive Lambeau Field experience. As part of the launch, the interactive booth will be set up at select Packers games this season, including the preseason “Family Night” and games against the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals, where patrons can enter to win exclusive Packers experiences and prizes.

“This grant is a pivotal step in our mission to make battery recycling accessible and mainstream,” Batteries Plus CEO Scott Williams says. “By eliminating recycling fees at our stores and developing advanced recycling workstations, we’re removing barriers and making it easier for consumers to do their part in preserving both our natural resources and the strength of our domestic supply chain. We’re excited to partner with the Department of Energy and the Green Bay Packers to bring this important message to a wider audience.”

The DOE entered discussions with Batteries Plus last month for a $7 million grant to help install portable consumer battery recycling drop-offs at their stores. The company says that on top of eliminating the costs for recycling batteries, it echoes the DOE’s commitment to educating consumers on lithium battery recycling on a national scale in each community the brand operates.

While the initiative is breaking ground in Wisconsin Batteries Plus locations and Lambeau Field, the company says it will be rolling out the recycling initiative in a nationwide effort as well. Over the past 30 years, the company says it has processed 50 million pounds of batteries annually, including over 1 million pounds of lithium-based batteries.

A comprehensive list of batteries that can be recycled, as well as Batteries Plus locations, can be found here.