BETTERY Inc. was a privately held company based in Portland, Oregon, thatt provided a retail store-based reusable battery exchange service to consumers. BETTERY kiosks or "Swap Stations" allowed consumers to buy ready-to-use reusable AA or AAA batteries that can be used like a single-use battery. Once drained, the batteries can be swapped for a fully tested and charged replacement.
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sustainable energy |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Headquarters | , USA |
Key people | Shem Zakem, President |
| Products | [reusable batteries and Swap Stations] |
| Website | [1] |
The company had placed five kiosks at Whole Foods Market locations in the Pacific Northwest and placed five additional kiosks at Whole Foods and Safeway stores in Seattle and Portland.
The BETTERY brand was sold in 2014 to Green Box Batteries of Tacoma, Washington.[1] Green Box Batteries was since renamed WeCycle Battery Box.[2]
Environmental Impact
editBatteries account for >1% of waste poundage, but 88% of mercury, 52% of cadmium, and in total they account for 50-70% of all heavy metal contaminants in landfills including Zinc, Manganese, Lead, Nickel, Cobalt, Cadmium, Arsenic, and Mercury depending on the battery chemistry mix in a given landfill location. By using a reusable battery swap service, battery use has up to 30 times less impact on air pollutants (such as Carbon, Nitrogen, and Methane gases) than disposable batteries. That is equivalent to driving a car 1,243 miles less each year per consumer.
By making it easier for consumers to use reusable battery technology, The BETTERY brand reduces the volume of batteries that are thrown away in the U.S. every year. Approximately 90 percent of portable batteries manufactured in the US are alkaline dry cells with a global annual production exceeding 10 billion units. Today, the majority of these batteries end up in landfills.[3]
Each BETTERY reusable battery can be swapped and reused up to a thousand times before it is recycled back into the manufacturing stream.[4] Consumers can use the BETTERY kiosk to drop off traditional single-use batteries, where they will be recycled. The contents of recycled batteries can be salvaged to make metal and other raw materials.[5]
History
editFounded in 2011 with the mission to reduce waste by utilizing the latest advancements in reusable battery technology, BETTERY belongs to the movement of companies with sustainability at its core. With a veteran team of executives and advisers from major battery, kiosk and high tech companies, BETTERY is poised to reinvent the portable power industry.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "BETTERY goes for the Whole shebang". Portland Business Journal. 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- ^ "Big Green Box is Now WeRecycle Battery Box". Cirba Solutions. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "Life Cycle Impacts of Alkaline Batteries with a Focus on End-of-Life" (PDF). National Electrical Manufacturers Association. 2011-02-01. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-23. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- ^ "Better battery recycling with BETTERY?". Recycling International. 2013-04-12. Archived from the original on 2013-04-21. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- ^ "What Happens to Recycled Batteries?". OPB News. 2013-04-04. Retrieved 2012-04-15.