Got an old phone, laptop, or power tool collecting dust in a drawer? The Pilot Knob Rotary Club and local high school students are teaming up to give those rechargeable devices new life through a lithium-ion battery recycling drive on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The event will take place at two locations: Guyer High School (Parking Lot B, 7501 Teasley Lane, Denton) and Braswell High School (Front Lot, 26750 E. University Drive, Aubrey). Residents can drop off old rechargeable devices — including cell phones, tablets, laptops, power tools, and other small electronics — that contain lithium-ion or nickel metal hydride batteries. Single-use alkaline batteries will not be accepted.
The collection effort is a collaboration between the Pilot Knob Rotary Club, Guyer High School AP Environmental Science students led by teacher Stephanie Riley, and Braswell High School students under Dr. Anna Seibert. It falls under the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group, which promotes environmental stewardship through community projects.
Recycling lithium-ion batteries keeps valuable minerals such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium in circulation and out of landfills. Less than 5% of small-format lithium-ion batteries are currently recycled, leaving millions of devices to sit unused and posing fire and safety risks.
Partnering recycler Redwood Materials, based in Nevada and led by J.B. Straubel, co-founder and former CTO of Tesla, can recover more than 95% of critical minerals from these batteries. Those materials can then be reused to manufacture new batteries for electric vehicles and other technologies. Redwood’s goal is to make consumer battery recycling both easy and free.
“This project helps educate our community about sustainability and gives students a hands-on role in environmental stewardship,” said Mike Weaver of Pilot Knob Rotary, who helped organize the drive.
Residents are encouraged to wipe personal data from devices before dropping them off. Questions can be directed to Mike Weaver at 940-391-9614 or [email protected].
For more information, visit pilotknobrotary.com
