Photo Summit Gets Recycler Award

The City of Summit Recycling Advisory Committee (RAC) presented the Photo Summit with its Recycler of the Month award, recognizing the business for its battery-recycling program as well as its other efforts to increase recycling. Photo Summit has served the photographic needs of Summit residents for years, however it has also been helping the environment through its battery-recycling program.  The acid components of the batteries can become hazardous when the batteries are discarded improperly.  Therefore, Lynne Harmen, the head manager of the store and an advocate of recycling, implemented a program to accept and safely dispose of batteries.  

Harmen had been recycling paper, bottles, and other traditional recyclables items for a long time both at home and in the store. One of her employees, also an avid recycler, had been removing old batteries from the store and recycling them properly. Harmen recognized that batteries were dangerous and had to be properly recycled.  She set up the program in which people dropped off their used batteries at the store. The batteries are then properly and safely disposed of free of charge.

The program has been very successful for both Harmen and her customers.  Harmen estimates that Photo Summit recycles about two hundred batteries a month and the program has really started to grow in the past couple years. The store will accept in all regular lithium batteries, camera, cell phone, and laptop batteries, and any other smaller sized batteries.  Harmen commented that she was motivated to start this program because, “we only have one earth.”

Recycler of the Month Award recipients may be individuals, businesses or other organizations. The RAC — a volunteer committee appointed by Common Council to assist the City in identifying and implementing programs to increase recycling in Summit — considers several criteria in selecting Recycler of the Month recipients. First, the recycling activity or project should be innovative or go beyond traditional recycling activities. Next, the activity should be continuous and sustainable. The RAC prefers ongoing efforts to one-time events. Finally, the activity should be replicable by others. To be considered for individual or organization efforts in recycling (reduce-reuse-recycle), contact the Summit Recycling Advisory Committee, at GoGreen@cityofsummit.org.