it all adds up....
okay.. I make no claims at being the "greenest" man at the party
greener than some.... less green than others
there are some "green" ideas that just make common sense
some ideas that we all need to start to take into consideration

in our house you will find disposable diapers, juice boxes, and lots of single serve containers
we are consumers... consumers of the modern age
our family consumes a great deal
like most familes we create a great deal of trash
trash and recycling
just like any other family we also use a good number of batteries

everything takes batteries
headlamps, cycling lights, blinking cycling lights, flashlights...
more than just lights
there are toys for the kids... countless toys that take batteries
some toys burn through batteries faster than others
over time we are creating a good number of old dead batteries
these useless old batteries become waste
it seems harmless when two little AAA batteries go bad and are replace
it seems like it should not be a problem to toss these two little AAA batteries into the trash
but
it all adds up
those are just the two AAA of the moment
there will be a few AAA in a few days, maybe some AA, down the road expect a few C batteries then there may even be a few D batteries
in a year each family is more than likely to go through a shoe box full of batteries

hmmmmm.... "a shoe box full of batteries?"

not a bad idea!
people should just set aside a shoe box
or maybe an old coffee can
instead of tossing these little batteries into the nearest land fill
these batteries should be set aside for proper disposal
one or two seem harmless
but honestly... it is not just one or two batteries
it is a lifetime of batteries

"then what?"
"then what?" you ask!?!?!

then look into your neighborhood recycling program
there are some basic rules of disposal for many items we use in our day to day lives...
car batteries are taken back for exchange and get "refurbished"
I heard somewhere in my travels that it is the law that a place that sells motor oil must also accept motor oil for recycling.... or something to that effect

we all know we can not put old paint cans in the trash!

perhaps there is a similar drop off for batteries
if there is not
there should be!

here is some local DC Stuff on the anual recycling drop off-
DC Sierra Club

Bring Household Hazardous Waste, Batteries, and Computers For Disposal
During Bi-annual Collection Event scheduled for April 23 and May 14, 2005. See news release from DC DPW issued April 1, 2005 below

from the Washington Post-
D.C. Department of Public Works
Franklin D. Reeves Center
2000 14th St. NW, Sixth Floor
2000 14th St. NW, Sixth Floor
Washington, D.C., 20009
202-673-6833 202-727-1000

Office hours 8:15 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Mondays-Fridays, except District holidays.
The department collects trash twice a week from most single-family homes and small residential buildings of up to three units. Residents who receive once-a-week trash collection

Fort Totten Transfer Station
4900 Bates Road NE
Washington, D.C., 20011
202-576-6803

The District's only public solid waste facility is open to residents (single-family homeowners only) and government agencies 1-5 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays.
It is a collection site for residential garbage, brush and tree limbs, and bulk it