The Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) will be phasing out the collection of batteries at its recycling and disposal facilities (RDF) over the next few weeks.
A recommendation was passed by the RDNO board on July 18 to discontinue the duplication in collection services provided by stewardship agencies responsible for battery disposal and recycling.
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There is now only one month left until battery collection services at the RDNO facilities will no longer be available. Starting Nov. 1, the following facilities will no longer accept lead acid or rechargeable batteries:
Greater Vernon RDF;
Armstrong-Spallumcheen RDF;
Lumby RDF;
Cherryville Transfer Station;
Kingfisher Transfer Station.
Call-2 Recycling and the Canadian Battery Association provide more than 20 different locations throughout the North Okanagan for residents to drop off batteries free of charge. These products are recyclable so disposing of them in the regular household garbage is unnecessary and harmful to the environment.
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“When consumers purchase batteries, costs for collection are added in by the retailer,” stated Nicole Kohnert, RDNO manager of regional engineering services. “These fees are used to pay for the cost of collecting, shipping and processing the material so when residents use our facilities as a drop off location, they are paying more for the services through our standard tipping fees. We believe that it will be less expensive for customers to use retailers and other depots to recycle their batteries.”
A list of locations accepting batteries can be found by using the Recycling Council of British Columbia’s Recyclepedia app. Residents can also visit the Call-2-Recycling or Canadian Battery Association websites for more information.
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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