Don't Be a Grinch - Get In the Recycling Spirit This Holiday Season

ATLANTA, Dec. 14, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Companies have introduced hot items.  Retailers are hosting major sales events.  Holiday revelers across the country are planning parties and looking forward to exchanging gifts.  While everyone is getting into the spirit of the season, there is one thing putting a damper on holiday cheer: waste.  

In fact, between Thanksgiving and New Year's, average household waste increases as much as 25 percent.  This holiday season, Call2Recycle®, North America's only free rechargeable battery and cell phone collection program, and Earth911, Inc., host of the nation's largest and most comprehensive recycling directory, have teamed up to remind people to make recycling a part of their festivities.

"During the holidays, consumers buy new gadgets, host parties and even update home decor," said Linda Gabor, vice president of marketing and account management for Call2Recycle. "This is a great time to give a gift to the planet by recycling old batteries, cell phones and other products that we typically upgrade during the holidays, or items that we buy and then throw away at the end of the season."

Here are a few recycling tips for the holidays:

1. This year, make e-cycling a top priority.  According to the Consumer Electronics Association, of the average $750 that households plan to spend on gifts this year, approximately $232 of that will be spent on consumer electronics such as a laptops, e-readers or game systems.  Electronics are the most popular items in the Earth911 Recycling Directory – more than 30 percent of recycling searches last year were for gadgets such as computers and televisions.
2. Don't forget the rechargeable batteries that power your gadgets.  This time of year is one of the most popular times for people to recycle their batteries. Nearly 20 percent of Call2Recycle's overall 2009 battery collections were received in November and December.  Likewise, 20 percent of the batteries sent to Call2Recycle from its retail partners in 2009 came from consumers visiting these stores during the holiday season.
3. Christmas trees can and should be recycled.  Christmas trees are one of the top-searched items in the Earth911 Recycling Directory each year, even though these recycling programs only last for a few weeks.  Through its Treecycle Program, Earth911 generates the nation's largest treecycling database from scratch every holiday season, gathering information for thousands of local events and collection drives around the country that make it easy for people to recycle their tree after the holidays.
4. Help the environment and those in need.  Allow your green efforts to help those in need by donating household goods that you no longer use to a local charity. Clothing, decorations, blankets and more can find a brand-new life through a charity, rather than reaching the trash bin.

"Making your holiday season more eco-friendly can be fast and easy, especially when you focus on recycling," said Corey Lambrecht, president of Earth911.  "As one of the most accessible, sustainable actions the average person can take, the resources to reduce our overall waste output are widespread and available. We only need to take advantage of them."

To be more environmentally conscious this holiday season, recycle batteries and cell phones at any of the more than 30,000 retailers, communities and businesses across the United States and Canada that serve as a Call2Recycle collection site.  To find a local Call2Recycle collection site, visit call2recycle.org, or visit Earth911.com to find a location to recycle hundreds of additional items.

About Call2Recycle®

Call2Recycle® is the only free rechargeable battery and cell phone collection program in North America. Since 1994, Call2Recycle has diverted more than 60 million pounds of rechargeable batteries from local landfills and established a network of 30,000 recycling drop-off locations. Advancing green business practices and environmental sustainability, Call2Recycle is the most active voice promoting eco-safe reclamation and recycling of rechargeable batteries and cell phones. Call2Recycle is operated by the non-profit RBRC. Learn more at call2recycle.org or 877.723.1297. Become a follower or fan at twitter.com/call2recycle or facebook.com/call2recycle.

About Earth911

Earth911, Inc. gathers, distributes and analyzes localized recycling information to assist manufacturers, organizations and consumers with product end-of-use solutions. Working to increase the recycling and disposal of consumer goods since 1991, Earth911's services enhance and support companies' responsible waste initiatives. Through its innovative Recycling Directory, Earth911's network of more than 11,000 Local Experts, who contribute recycling information for hundreds of products, make the Directory the largest and most accurate in the nation, boasting more than 127,000 programs and locations that support over 740,000 recycling resources combined.

SOURCE Call2Recycle; Earth911, Inc.