Ace Hardware joins FBA's household battery recycling program

FALLBROOK – The Fallbrook Beautification Alliance has announced that Fallbrook Ace Hardware has joined the FBA's Household Battery Recycling Program, providing the fifth location in Fallbrook where residents are able to safely dispose of hazardous household battery waste.

Over the past nine years, FBA estimates that the program has helped safely recycle over 750,000 old, used and dead batteries. Household batteries may not be thrown away in regular curbside trash or recycling containers, or even taken directly to the dump.

Since the start of COVID-19, EDCO Waste and Recycling has temporarily closed their local recycling drop off centers to the public. Therefore, the only local locations where residents are able to safely dispose of this hazardous waste is at the FBA drop off locations, found at Albertsons and Major markets, as well as the Fallbrook Library when open.

FBA Village Rotary volunteers, an FBA partner in this initiative, have collected the batteries at the markets and transferred them to an FBA storage location, where monthly volunteers transport them to EDCO recycling centers in San Marcos. Since the shut down in March 2020, FBA estimates that over 1,500 pounds of batteries have been safely disposed of in this manner.

All batteries are considered hazardous waste in California when they are discarded. This includes batteries of sizes AAA, AA, C, D, button cell, 9 Volt, and other household batteries, both rechargeable and single use. By law, all batteries must be recycled, or taken to a household hazardous waste disposal facility, a universal waste handler (e.g., storage facility or broker), or an authorized recycling facility.

Batteries are considered hazardous because of the metals and/or other toxic or corrosive materials contained within. And if that is not reason enough to dispose of them properly, batteries are potentially a valuable source of recyclable metal.

When approached to join the FBA program, Fallbrook Ace Hardware immediately accepted the offer for FBA to place battery drop off containers in the store.

"The Fallbrook community is filled with residents who really care about our town," said Tresa Yada, store manager. "We welcome the opportunity to be a part of that community."

The 5 gallon marked containers provided by the FBA, are prominently displayed near the checkout register and near where new batteries are sold.

FBA expects that EDCO will open their local recycling center location soon, so if anyone has been storing a large quantity of batteries or other household hazardous waste, they are asked to continue to hold them until they can be disposed of. However, if they have a small quantity of old, dead or leaking household batteries, they can feel free to utilize one of these convenient drop off locations.

To get involved with this initiative, or any of the other environmental and beautification programs managed by the Fallbrook Beautification Alliance, visit www.fallbrookbeautification.org.

Submitted by Fallbrook Beautification Alliance.