Rechargeable/Recyclable Batteries (Batteries Plus)

I get asked all the time what can I do with rechargeable batteries that no longer work or are no longer needed.

I usually tell folks to drop them off at the local Radio Shack, Lowes or Home Depot. They take them for free.  They have drop boxes that they send to Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation for proper disposal. There are others in the area as well. Here is link with other drop sites in the area: http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/dropoff/results.php?s_Dealer_Zip=01801&s_Dealer_Radius=5

Well here is another option. I was trying to locate a new battery for a Ryobi cordless drill that I have and dispose of the old ones that would not hold a charge. I had an occasion to stop by the new Battery Plus store (formally Carvel) on Cambridge Road here in Woburn.  To my surprise they not only could get me what I needed but offered a couple cheaper alternatives. They offered to check the batteries out and do something that possibly could restore their ability to take a charge for minimal money. If that did not work there would be no charge but they also can replace the cells in these rechargeable batteries and reuse the case at half the cost of a new battery if I chose. That turns out to be what I ended up having done. I now have two batteries that operate like new for the cost of buying one new one.

What a great service and idea for the consumer and the environment. It turns out that all of these stores nationwide also feature a tech center that is equipped to design, assemble, rebuild and test custom battery packs.

Here is the link to the Woburn store but you can link to others from this address if you are not close to Woburn: http://www.batteriesplus.com/store_details/392.aspx 

I welcome them to Woburn and wish them well for a prosperous and healthy future.