ERI, the nation’s largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company, announced today its expanded recycling partnership to provide convenient, free recycling of consumer batteries and other items at Staples stores nationwide.

Starting this week, Staples will broaden its existing Recycling Services program with long-time recycling partner ERI to now include rechargeable and single-use alkaline batteries. Consumers are welcome to recycle batteries and other items for free at any of Staples’ approximately 1000 convenient locations nationwide.

Staples is also collaborating with Call2Recycle,the country’s largest consumer battery stewardship program leader, to ensure the safe and efficient transportation of all batteries and electronics back to ERI’s state-of-the-art recycling facilities. ERI is certified at the highest level to responsibly recycle all electronic devices, including batteries. For this new addition to the program, ERI will responsibly recycle the batteries collected at Staples stores and provide recovered precious metals and materials back into the circular market for beneficial reuse.

Staples leveraged consumer recycling behavior research from MIT, along with the expertise of Call2Recycle and ERI to design the program.

“We applaud our friends and colleagues at Staples for enhancing what is already a terrific recycling program and making it even more helpful and convenient for consumers by accepting batteries and other items – all for free – at every Staples store,” said John Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of ERI. “We are humbled to be part of this innovative partnership alongside Call2Recycle and Staples to support a program that is opening the door to make responsible recycling of everyday items more accessible to communities across the United States.”

"We’re proud to partner with two of the nation’s leading organizations in battery and electronics recycling to develop innovative experiences that are better for our world,” said Brian Coupland, Senior Vice President Merchandising at Staples. “Since launching our Recycling Services program with ERI in 2009, together we’ve recycled more than 165 million pounds of technology. With this addition of battery recycling, we’re working to help prevent nearly 3 billion batteries from entering landfills each year.”

Beyond batteries, Staples Recycling Services also accepts the following items to recycle in its stores nationwide:

• Printers and ink cartridges
• Crayons and markers
• SodaStream CO2 canisters
• Computers
• Coffee brewers
• Phones – including phone and tablet cases
• Gaming systems
• Luggage and Backpacks^*
• Lego bricks^*

(*Currently in select stores – expanding to all stores by June 2024.)

To view the full list of items that can be recycled at Staples and learn more about the expanded Recycling Services, visit Staples.com/recycling.

About ERI

ERI is the largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company in the United States. ERI is certified at the highest level by all leading environmental and data security oversight organizations to de-manufacture, recycle, and refurbish every type of electronic device in an environmentally responsible manner. It is the first and only company in its industry to achieve carbon neutrality at all its facilities nationwide, and the first to achieve SOC 2 Type I and II certifications for security and data protection. ERI has the capacity to process more than a billion pounds of electronic waste annually at its eight certified locations, serving every zip code in the United States. ERI’s mission is to protect people, the planet and privacy. For more information about e-waste recycling and ERI, call 1-800-ERI-DIRECT or visit https://eridirect.com.

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