Alkaline Battery Recycling Contest

In an effort to educate local students about the importance of protecting the environment, CMSD hosts an annual Alkaline Battery Recycling Contest among local schools. At the beginning of each school year, local schools are invited to participate in the contest for a chance to raise money for their school by ensuring that household batteries are collected and recycled. The contest is FREE to join, and all schools within CMSD’s service area are eligible to participate!

Here’s how it works:

Each participating school is given designated containers to collect household batteries.
Once the school fills at least 4 containers with household batteries, the batteries are collected, weighed, and recycled.
Near the end of the school year, CMSD announces the awards and the total weight of household batteries collected by each school.

Awards:

Most batteries collected (by weight):
- 1st place – $1,200
- 2nd place – $1,000
- 3rd place – $800
- 4th place and beyond:
  - Over 1,000 lbs. collected – $500
  - 500 to 999 lbs. collected – $350
  - 100 to 499 lbs. collected – $300
  - 51 to 99 lbs. collected – $200
  - Under 50 lbs collected – $100

Important Safety Information:

This program is intended to collect alkaline batteries only. Below are the types and sizes that are accepted:

For 9 Volt batteries, it is required to place tape on the metal terminals before placing them in the collection container.
The following battery types are NOT accepted:
- Rechargeable Lithium Ion (Li-Ion)
- Small Sealed Lead Acid (SSLA/Pb)
- Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) over 9 volt
- Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) over 9 volt and Nickel Zinc (Ni-Zn) over 9 volt
- Primary/Single-Use [Alkaline & Carbon Zinc over 12 volt]
NOTE: If any of the unacceptable battery types are mistakenly collected, they must be placed in plastic bags (one battery per bag) in order to avoid fire hazards. If plastic bags are unavailable, exposed battery terminals should be taped with non-conductive tape before placing them into a collection container.

If you represent a school within CMSD’s service area that wishes to participate in the contest, please contact CMSD .

2023-24 Participating Schools:
If you would like to drop off your household batteries to a participating school, please call the school to confirm drop-off access.

Participating School	Phone Number
California Elementary School	(714) 424-7940
Christ Lutheran School	(949) 548-6866
College Park Elementary	(714) 424-7960
Davis Magnet School	(714) 424-7930
Early College High School	(714) 424-7990
Estancia High School	(949) 515-6500
Harper School (STEP Program)	(949) 515-6632
Kaiser Elementary School	(949) 515-6950
Killybrooke Elementary	(714) 424-7945
Newport Heights Elementary School	(949) 515-6970
Paularino Elementary	(714) 424-7950
Rea Elementary	(949) 515-6905
Sonora Elementary	(714) 424-7955
St. John the Baptist School	(714) 557-5060
TeWinkle Middle School	(714) 424-7965
Victoria Elementary	(949) 515-6893
Waldorf School	(949) 574-7775
Whittier Elementary	(949) 515-6990

2022-23 Winners

Participating School	Total Weight of Batteries Collected (in lbs.)	Awards
Davis Magnet School	2382	$ 1,200.00
Paularino Elementary School	1958	$ 1,000.00
Sonora Elementary School	1320	$ 800.00
Kaiser Elementary School	1218	$ 500.00
TeWinkle Middle School	892	$ 350.00
California Elementary School	888	$ 350.00
Estancia High School	690	$ 350.00
Christ Lutheran School	491	$ 300.00
Killybrooke Elementary School	483	$ 300.00
Waldorf School of Orange County	445	$ 300.00
Newport Heights Elementary School	410	$ 300.00
Victoria Elementary School	278	$ 300.00
Harper Elementary School (STEP Program)	252	$ 300.00
A Child's Place Learning Center	233	$ 300.00
Early College High School	224	$ 300.00
St. John the Baptist School	189	$ 300.00
Rea Elementary School	174	$ 300.00