Increased processing fees to recycle some batteries have forced the Gloucester Clean Community Committee to make changes to its household battery recycling program.

Amanda Wallace, interim Clean Community coordinator, said that, effective immediately, the program will no longer accept alkaline or zinc-carbon single-use household batteries for recycling. These batteries do not contain mercury, she said, and may be disposed of in regular household trash.

“Disposing of alkaline and zinc-carbon batteries in regular household trash is not the best alternative, but we are facing a 40 percent increase in processing fees,” said Buzz Perkins, Clean Community chairperson. “We simply do not have the budget to fund the increased cost of the program.”

Perkins said the committee had to choose between scaling back the program or dropping it entirely. “We looked at several options and decided that focusing on the most environmentally hazardous household batteries is th...