Cartersville, GA,U.S.A. – Metal Conversion Technologies (MCT), the second largest consumer rechargeable battery recycler in North America, is educating consumers on important safety guidelines for recycling lithium batteries. Many consumers are not aware that shipping lithium batteries to recycling facilities without following the Department of Transportation shipping guidelines can result in an explosion and a fire, either during shipping or at the receiving facility.

Metal Conversion Technologies makes it easy for consumers to quickly obtain the Department of Transportation shipping guidelines to ensure proper shipping. By visiting the MCT website at www.metalconversion.com, consumers can watch a video which demonstrates proper shipping guidelines, download step-by-step instructions, and print shipping labels required for easy identification when shipping hazardous materials such as lithium batteries.

“By following some simple steps to prevent the battery terminals from touching during shipment, consumers can help contribute to a healthier environment by recycling batteries, and can ensure that the batteries do not become a fire or explosive hazard,” said John Patterson, CEO of Metal Conversion Technologies. ”Consumers are doing something good for the environment by recycling batteries, but need to be aware of the simple but effective steps outlined by the DOT to help them feel confident that they are safely recycling batteries.”

Lithium batteries produce a higher voltage than traditional alkaline batteries and often have a longer life, resulting in minimizing battery replacement. Lithium-type batteries are more often used in consumer products including electric vehicles and smaller devices such as cell phones, remote car locks, watches, digital cameras and camera recorders.

“MCT is genuinely interested in resource conservation, and environmental stewardship is the foundation of our business,” said Patterson. “We truly want to make it easy and safe for consumers and companies to recycle more batteries which results in a safer and healthier environment for us all.”

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At the urging of Senator Patrick Leahy, a federal agency on Tuesday Jan 17 updated and greatly increased its estimate of bat mortality from white-nose syndrome, the devastating disease decimating bat populations in Vermont and across the United States.

Leahy has long led efforts in the Senate Appropriations Committee for research funding to counter WNS, a wildlife crisis of unprecedented scale. In December, Leahy wrote to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe asking for an update to the statistic for how many bats have been affected and killed by WNS.

Since 2009, the agency had suggested that “over one million bats” have been killed by WNS, a doubling from 2008 reports. On Tuesday, agency officials estimated that at least 5.7 million bats — as few as 5.7 million and as many as 6.7 million — have been lost in North America to WNS.

White-nose syndrome first appeared in a bat cave near Albany, New York in 2006 and has spread to 16 states and 4 Canadian provinces. The fungus that causes the disease, Geomyces destructans, has been found on asymptomatic bats in another three states. With some Vermont caves losing 95 percent or more in hibernating bat populations, last year the little brown bat and the northern long-eared bat were added to Vermont’s Endangered Species list.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is also reviewing the status of the little brown bat for possible federal endangered listing. Once the most common bat in the Eastern United States, the little brown bat has virtually disappeared from much of its core range, suffering mortality rates of more than 90 percent.

Leahy said, “These numbers make clear that we haven’t yet seen the bottom of this deepening wildlife crisis. Targeted research and urgency are vital to this effort, and accurate data is an essential component.”

The article Bats’ Death Rate Climbs Because of White-Nose Syndrome appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.