Most of us don't think about batteries until the remote dies. Then the old ones end up in a junk drawer, or worse, in the trash.
That was me too. I never wanted to toss used batteries in the garbage, but recycling them was never on my mind until it was time to swap them out. Then we had kids, and our battery use went through the roof. Toys, monitors, remotes, flashlights. I knew something had to change.
The problem: recycling batteries shouldn't be this hard
When I looked for options, the main one was a mail-in recycling box starting around $55. Some big-box stores take back certain batteries, mostly rechargeables. Single-use alkalines, the AAs and AAAs every family burns through, had almost nowhere to go.
Here's what surprised me. Lead-acid car batteries in the US get recycled at a rate of around 99%. Household batteries? The recycling rate has stayed in the single digits for about a decade. The difference is a system. Car batteries have one that pays for collection. Household batteries mostly don't.
The fix: a win for everyone
After years in marketing, I saw a way to close that gap without waiting on new laws. Brands sponsor the network, and that covers the cost of pickup and processing. That's how ResQ keeps recycling free for you.
You get a free, convenient place to drop off batteries.
Local businesses that host a ResQ drop-off BIN get extra foot traffic and a feel-good service for their customers.
Sponsors put their brand in front of people at the moment they're doing something good for their community.
Step 1: Stash your batteries, don't trash them
The easiest habit starts at home. Grab any box you've got lying around and make it your family's battery spot. When something dies, the batteries go in the box, not the trash.
Want to do a little more? Pick up a ResQ Box. It's a fun, designed collection box that helps support the mission. When it's full, bring it to the nearest ResQ drop-off BIN.
Step 2: You drop them off
Drop your used single-use alkaline batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9-volt) in any ResQ drop-off BIN around the Valley. One quick tip: tape the ends of 9-volts and any batteries with exposed terminals before you drop them in.
Our BINs are for single-use alkalines only. Got rechargeables, lithium, or other e-waste? Bring them to one of our monthly e-waste drop-off events, or give us a call and we'll point you in the right direction.
Step 3: We collect and sort
Our team services each ResQ drop-off BIN every three months, hitting several locations a day. As we empty each BIN, we pull out anything that clearly isn't an alkaline and set it aside for proper e-waste recycling.
At the end of the day, everything comes back to our warehouse. Alkalines go into a dedicated drum, and the e-waste goes to our recycling partner.
Step 4: Recycled right here in Phoenix
Our alkalines don't get shipped across the country. They go to our local processing partner, Critical Materials Recovery (CMR), here in Phoenix.
At CMR, every load is weighed and logged, then sorted by chemistry using X-ray and hand sorting. The batteries are mechanically shredded, with no chemicals involved, and separated into three reusable materials:
Zinc-manganese concentrate, called "black mass." Zinc and manganese are both on the US government's critical minerals list.
Steel from the battery casings.
Brass from the internal parts.
According to CMR, 85 to 95% of each battery is recovered by weight. Your dead AA becomes raw material again.
Where we are and where we're going
Through our pilot programs, we've already kept over 500 pounds of batteries out of the trash. As our network grows across the Valley, we plan to collect tens of thousands of pounds.
How you can help
Get a ResQ box for home. It gives your family one easy spot to collect dead batteries so they never hit the trash.
Drop them off at a ResQ drop-off BIN near you when the box is full.
Know a great local business? If you know a shop, office, or brand that would make a great host or sponsor, send them our way at resqbatteries.com.
Small habits add up. Let's make the Valley a place where batteries get a second life.
Brian Rodriguez, Founder, ResQ Batteries
