Nonprofit partnering with Call2Recycle and local bike shops
With research having shown that more than 12 million electric bicycles (e-bikes) are estimated to be sold in the United States between 2020 and 2030, 12 million batteries will be needed to power those e-bikes, the Friends of Osprey Junction Trailhead in Sarasota County points out.
As a result, the nonprofit says, those batteries “will need to be safely and responsibly collected and recycled” at their end of life. With this in mind, the organization recently launched an eBike Battery Recycling Program.
“Partnering with Call2Recycle, the country’s leading consumer battery recycling and stewardship program (www.call2recycle.org),” as well as local bike shops, members of the Friends of Osprey Junction Trailhead (FOJT) have expressed excitement about adding this program to their existing community services and initiatives, the release adds.
“The underlying element to all our programs is sustainability,” said Chuck Butterfield, president of Friends of Osprey Junction Trailhead Park, in the release. “This program is perfect for our mission.”
The Friends of Osprey Junction Trailhead “is a volunteer organization that supports, promotes, and enhances Osprey Junction Trailhead, a Sarasota County Park adjacent to The Legacy Trail, the release explains.
“We’re pleased to bring this program to the Sarasota community,” added Ralph Monti, director of Bicycle Programs at FOJT. “And we’re excited to have Venice Outdoor Sports, Village Bikes in Lakewood Ranch, and the Fit2Run Bike Shops as our drop-off partners,” he noted in the release.
Anyone with an ebike battery that the individual wishes to recycle can find the closest drop-off location by visiting https://www.call2recycle.org/e-bikes/ and doing a zip code search.
For more information, contact Monti with the Friends of Osprey Junction Trailhead by email at ralphmonti@gmail.com.
Friends of Osprey Junction Trailhead is a chapter of Friends of Sarasota County Parks, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in Florida, the release explains. Visit its website at ojtfriends.com or email friends@ojtfriends.com.