9:39am | What you are now reading is a follow-up to What Do I Do With My Dead Batteries?, my October column that was a sort of review on the state of dealing with e-waste in Long Beach—including the lack of options within city limits for properly dealing with single-use batteries.

Well, things are looking up. But I’m going to bury the lead. First, some housecleaning from the last piece:

  • The Environmental Services Bureau (ESB) provides a list of battery-recycling centers—including a few in Long Beach that do take single-use batteries. But the list contains at least some inaccuracies. For example, included are select Radio Shacks—for example, 515 N. Pine Ave—but I went there, and they told me that not only don’t they take single-use batteries, but no Radio Shacks do. However, it turns out that all Best Buys (such as the one at 6310 E. Pacific Coast Hwy.) accept them—something that is not reflected on ESB’s list. Look for the ESB to update the list in the near future.
  • While L.A. County provides a calendar of the Household Hazardous Waste round-up events it holds periodically, between now and June (as far out as the calendar goes) the only ones within 15 miles of Long Beach are in Hermosa Beach, Hawthorne, and Lynwood. But I am told that in April the ESB will be holding its own household hazardous waste (HHW) roundup.

As you may have heard (here, for example), Lowenthal’s office is holding its 5th Annual Second District E-Waste Drive this Saturday, January 8, from 9:00am-1:00pm at the parking lot on the corner of Broadway Ave. and Long Beach Blvd.

For various logistical reasons, in previous years you could not get rid of your single-use batteries here. But in response to my October column I was contacted by the folks at batteryrecycler.net, who sell small bins that businesses, etc., can display so that employees, etc., are reminded not to improperly dispose of batteries. I was able to put batteryrecycler.net in touch with Lowenthal’s office, the result being that a representative from batteryrecycler.net will be at Saturday’s e-waste drive not only with bins for sale to interested parties, but also to accept your dead batteries and then haul them to San Pedro (home to the closest permanent facility for proper disposal).

Best of all, it looks like we will soon have a permanent solution, as the ESB reports that a permanent, Long Beach-operated HHW drop-off site will be opening in Signal Hill this summer.

So next time someone asks you what he can do with his dead batteries, you’ll be ready.