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Press Release

Monday, November 03, 2008

DOE Press Office
(850) 245-0413

Florida’s Division of Blind Services Wins Recycling Leadership Award

TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Education’s (DOE) Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services recently received the 2008 Regional Recycling Leadership Award from Call2Recycle®, the nation’s most comprehensive battery and cell phone recycling program. Administered by the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), the award recognizes community and agency program participants for their efforts in rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling.

“I am extremely proud of the Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services,” said Education Commissioner Dr. Eric J. Smith. “Not only do they provide exceptionally important services for their visually impaired clients, they are also committed to doing their part to preserve our planet for future generations.”

The Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services was recognized as one of four regional and two national winners for their educational outreach services that include brochures, DVDs, CDs and posters to promote rechargeable battery recycling. The Bureau is one of the largest users of rechargeable batteries in the Southeast, and has had a significant positive impact on the environment by keeping more than 4,000 pounds of rechargeable batteries out of landfills in the past year.

“Last year, the Bureau recharged more than 6,000 batteries that are used in the talking book players loaned to Florida readers with print disabilities,” said Joyce Hildreth, director of the Division of Blind Services. “If these batteries had not been reused and instead had to be replaced, it would have cost the Library of Congress more than $66,000.”

As part of the DOE’s Division of Blind Services, the Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Services administers a free library program of Braille and recorded materials for Florida citizens who are unable to use standard print because of a visual, physical, or reading disability.

Call2Recycle® provides a convenient way to collect and recycle old cell phones and used rechargeable batteries found in many of today’s cordless electronic devices. The program is the result of the rechargeable battery industry's commitment to conserve natural resources and prevent rechargeable batteries from entering the solid waste stream.

For more information about the award, visit http://www.rbrc.org/corporate/mediacenter_news.shtml.