my dad went over to IKEA the other day to drop off batteries but they no longer take them.

here's why:

Tighter Regulations Setting Battery Recycling Back a Decade, Sending Batteries Back to Landfills

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/tighter-regulat...

Actually, Mom's still takes them. You just have to tape bother terminals on the batteries before you drop them off. They also take burned out CFLs, but you don't have to tape those

the college park IKEA will no longer take batteries at all. - they won't touch them.

my dad tried this weekend

they will take CFL's

What kind of batteries are you talking about?

just your regular dry cells like AA,AAA, D, C
cell phone batteries, etc just to give examples.

I took them to work since they recycle so I don't really have a problem getting rid of them.

the DOT regulations cover all batteries in transport. the problem according to the article was wet cells like car batteries that caught the truck on fire, that is what caused this regulation.

the other issue they put a $50,000 fine on improper transport of batteries for each incident aka each battery.

that could add up crazy that's why people/business are just not touching them

I understand why they are concerned about the batteries- short out a bunch of those batteries, and you're going to generate a *LOT* of heat and could start fires- it has been a disaster waiting to happen. Even a discharged battery has some energy left in it.

Duncan,

from the ikea website

since you don't believe me:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/store/seattle/environment

"Until further notice, IKEA has suspended the recycling service to take back used batteries.
This is due to the challenges of a new regulation issued by the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) regarding the transport of batteries. "

Ah, but I *do* believe you.

All I was saying is that Mom's has it figured out. They just ask you to put tape over the battery ends before you drop them off. Problem solved. Guess that was too much for Ikea to deal with.

Or their big corporate legal department is more paranoid. Good for Mom's.

That reminds me, is REI still there? Years ago they were talking about relocating that Rhode Island Ave store to another, more up-and-coming, location.

ya, (Really Expensive Items) REI is still down there on Rhode Island in the old A&P grocery store.

now I'm really getting old since I remember that the store was an A&P.

FWIW, Radio Shack will take just about any kind of rechargeable batteries. Most now have a recycling box and little plastic bags somewhere near the counter. I don't think they take non-rechargeable cells, but that doesn't mean their staff hovers over you and would prevent you from dropping them into the box anyway, then let the recycler sort it out. Of course it's the responsible thing to do to either tape the terminals or put each battery into it's own baggie.