top of page

Bulbs and Batteries

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Bulbs
At the present time, the Borough is not able to provide recycling for compact fluorescent lights (CFLs).  CFLs contain small amounts of mercury and should not be thrown in the trash. They may be taken to the nearest Home Depot store where there are special collection containers by their customer service counter.  Simply placed the bulbs in one of their special bags, seal it and drop it in the orange bin. We suggest you keep a box in your garage or basement to collect the old bulbs and schedule a Home Depot drop off when needed.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Batteries
Currently, there is no recycling option for alkaline batteries. They may be thrown away in your regular trash until we find a company that is interested in collecting and recycling them. In the meantime, we recommend the use of rechargeable NiMH batteries to minimize the number of batteries that get thrown away and to reduce the amount of battery packaging that ends up in the trash.
 
If you are switching from alkaline single-use batteries to rechargeable batteries look for a universal smart battery charger that automatically detects when the battery is fully recharged and switches to a trickle charge mode at that point. This will minimize your electricity consumption during battery recharging and protect the batteries against damage caused by over-charging. For a useful review of rechargeable batteries and battery chargers, click here.
 
9 volt and nickel cadmium batteries should not be thrown in the trash but may be recycled at Home Depot as above or taken to the Essex County Fleet Maintenance Facility at 99 Bradford Avenue in Cedar Grove during their special spring and fall Hazardous Waste Collection Days.  See www.ecuanj.com for more information.
 
Rechargeable Batteries
Call2Recycle has teamed up with a large number of retailers to collect rechargeable batteries using collection boxes located in their stores. To find a location near you, use the zip code search on the Call2Recycle website at Call2recycle.org.
 
The following retailers have signed up to this battery recycling scheme and have rechargeable battery collection boxes in their stores.
  • Alltel
  • AT&T
  • Best Buy
  • Black & Decker
  • DeWalt
  • Home Depot
  • Interstate All Battery Centers
  • Lowe’s
  • Milwaukee Electrical Tool
  • Office Depot
  • Orchard Supply
  • Porter Cable Service Centers
  • RadioShack
  • Remington Product Company
  • Sears
  • Staples
  • Target
  • US Cellular
  • Verizon Wireless
 
 
This scheme accepts ALL RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES from the small 1.5V AAA batteries, to cell phone, laptop and power tool batteries. If it is rechargeable then it will be recycled by the Call2Recycle scheme.  However, the single use button (silver oxide) and standard 1.5V non-rechargeable batteries (alkaline batteries) are not accepted by this recycling scheme.
 
Batteries accepted:
  • Nickel Cadmium (NiCd)
  • Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH)
  • Lithium Ion (Li-ion)
  • Nickel Zinc (NiZn)
  • Small Sealed Lead Acid (Pb) weighing up to 11 lbs/5 kg per battery
 
Button Cell Batteries
The small button cell batteries often found in watches and calculators usually contain silver oxide and should be recycled. Many NJ counties will collect these batteries at their municipal recycling centers so check your local county website for details.  Most retail stores that sell button cell batteries have collection boxes where they can be deposited ready for recycling.
 
bottom of page