Accessibility for Product
Stewardship Programs
State of Texas Alliance for Recycling Summit 2013
Tim Warren
Account Manager
October 15, 2013
What is Call2Recycle®?

Free to consumers, retailers and participants;
100% funded by manufacturers

Over 75 million pounds of batteries and cellphones
collected since inception

Complies with Basel Treaty ban on
exports: e-Stewards Recognition

First program of its kind to receive
Responsible Recycling (R2) Certification
How is Call2Recycle Funded?

Battery and product
manufacturers pay a licensing
fee, based on North American
sales, to imprint Call2Recycle
Battery Recycling Seals onto
battery packs or products to
comply with laws.

A toll-free number on the seal
allows consumers to locate
more than 30,000 collection
sites in the U.S. & Canada.
How the Program Works
Batteries are recovered or reused to make new batteries, cement products or
stainless steel alloy. Cellphones are refurbished or resold and a portion of the
proceeds are used to fund collection programs/public education and charity.
What is Accessibility?
 In terms of recycling, it is the access that consumers have to recycle
products after their useful life.
 Factors to consider:
– The convenience of recycling
– The variety of items available for recycling
– The locations available to drop-off items (how many opportunities
does the consumer have within a reasonable radius)
– The visibility of the drop-off locations themselves (out where
consumers can easily identify/access them and well advertised)
– The hours of operation are flexible and convenient
Why is Accessibility Important?
 In 2009, the U.S. recycling rate for
materials was 33.8%, but could be higher
or lower depending on material due to the
availability – accessibility – of recycling
resources for each material.
 From Call2Recycle’s perspective, the
U.S. EPA estimates that more than 350
million rechargeable batteries are
purchased annually in the U.S.
– In order to divert those batteries from
the waste stream, our program needs
high accessibility to make it
convenient for consumers to drop-off
their rechargeable batteries.
Recycling Options that Affect Accessibility
Variety of Collection Methods
Variety of Materials Accepted






 Aluminum or steel cans
 Plastic bottles or plastic
containers
 Glass containers
 Plastic bags or plastic film
 Paper or cardboard
 Cellphones
 Batteries
 Print cartridges
 Consumer electronics
 Light bulbs
 Power tools
Curbside (considered most convenient)
Retail take-back
Manufacturer take-back
Mail-in programs
Community/HHW drop-off centers
National product stewardship programs
How Call2Recycle Determines Accessibility
 Define a public facing collection site
 Identify who is participating as a
public collection site
 Analyze collection site network
(Conventionally, a 10-mile radius
has been used as the appropriate
radius.)
As of mid-2013, 89% of the U.S.
population was covered in
Call2Recycle’s accessibility
measurement
How Does this Compare with Other Programs?
 When Earth911 contacted local
communities in 2011 to learn about
their curbside recycling programs, one
question asked was “What percentage
of residents have access to the
program?”
– On average, only 70% were eligible
to participate
 The plastic bag and film industry
reports that 91% to 93% of the U.S.
population has access to plastic bag
recycling and 72% to 74% also have
access to plastic film recycling via
curbside collection or because they live
within 10 miles of a drop-off facility.
The Challenges of Accessibility
 Being able to provide coverage for both urban and
rural areas effectively
– In Texas, we work with organizations like
Cooperative Teamwork Recycling Assistance
(CTRA) and the Panhandle Regional Planning
Commission to address the needs of rural Texas.
 Maintaining accurate location information
– Continual quality checks on our database.
– Active sites (ones that have sent in batteries
within the last 12 months) are offered first.
 For Call2Recycle, a challenge is not being able to
utilize more mainstream solutions, like curbside or
mailback, because there are safety & compliance
concerns that limit this type of collection for batteries
Benefits of Knowing Your Accessibility
 Allows insight to identify the areas
that are underserved
– For Call2Recycle, where should
time, money and effort be spent to
set-up collection sites and educate
 Can also be used with demographical
information to better understand what
portion of the population may or may
not be recycling
 Allows for better, more targeted
communications with consumers
66% of “baby boomers”
vs. 54% of “millennials”
would make a strong
effort to recycle
Battery Recycling Accessibility in Texas
 87% accessibility rate for the state
 1092 public sites
 91% retail, 3% government
 In 2013, retail sites have collected
194,907 pounds of rechargeable
batteries (195 lbs. average)
 Government sites have collected
26,283 pounds (730 lbs. average)
Consumer Awareness & Motivation
 In a comprehensive survey, 25% of
respondents cited not being accessible or
convenient as a barrier to recycling
 Only 37% were aware that you could
recycle batteries
 Less interaction with material to be
recycled makes it harder to keep
top-of-mind
 55% said knowing where to go would
increase the likelihood of recycling
batteries/cellphones
 51% of consumers who “drop and shop”
go beyond replacing what they recycled to
buy other items
Consumer “green guilt”
has more than doubled
since 2009 to 29%
Consumer Awareness & Motivation - continued
 In a study of 506 consumers who
already recycle batteries, the majority
found out about recycling at a
retail/store, followed by word-of-mouth
 The number one method at a
retail location was through store
signs
 In a survey looking at motivations, the
majority of non-recyclers said the
biggest thing to motivate them to
recycle would be information on
 Where to recycle
 Benefits/importance of recycling
 How/what to recycle
75% of Americans say they feel
good when they take steps to
help the environment
What is Your Accessibility?
 Do you accept a variety of products?
 How convenient is it to recycle?
 Do you have enough locations?
 Are your locations visible?
 What consumer education tools do
you use? How effective are they at
reaching their audience?
Questions?
Tim Warren
Account Manager, Call2Recycle®
1000 Parkwood Circle, Ste.200
Atlanta, GA 30339
678-218-4579
twarren@call2recycle.org