Dewalt, a leading manufacturer of industrial power tools, last week announced a national battery-recycling program that will take place at its 82 service centers nationwide throughout the months of October and November. Dewalt, in conjunction with the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, hopes to encourage the thousands of professional contractors who rely on its Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) and Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries on a daily basis to aid in helping the environment by recycling old units.

Through the program, users who recycle their Ni-Cd, Ni-MH or Li-Ion Dewalt power tool batteries at one of the company’s service centers will receive a $10 discount to put toward their next Dewalt battery purchase.

RBRC, a non-profit public service organization dedicated to recycling used rechargeable batteries and old cell phones, will provide Dewalt with recycling bins to place in each of its 82 service centers. RBRC will then collect the batteries and recycle them for future use through its Call2Recycle program.

“We understand that our rechargeable batteries are in the hands of thousands of professional contractors across the country every day,” said Frank Mannarino, vice presiden of cordless product development for Dewalt “That said, we feel responsible for making battery recycling programs accessible to our end users, and we are excited to support this initiative for a third time. During the last event in October 2008, RBRC saw a 26-percent spike in pounds recycled by Dewalt compared to the previous month, so our hope is to make an even greater impact this year.”

Call2Recycle is a program of RBRC, a nonprofit, public service organization dedicated to promoting e-waste green initiatives, conserving natural resources, and preserving the environment. Founded by the rechargeable battery industry in 1994, Call2Recycle’s mission is to prevent rechargeable batteries and cell phones from entering our nation’s solid waste stream. The program includes tens of thousands of retail, business and community collection locations enrolled throughout the United States and Canada. To find participating drop-off locations and for more information, visit www.call2recycle.org