Cirba Solutions Plants 400 Trees, Boosts Battery Recycling

Cirba Solutions is proving that environmental progress doesn't have to choose between restoring nature and solving modern waste problems.

The Ohio-based company is funding 400 new trees through the Arbor Day Foundation, targeting three regions hit hard by logging, wildfires, and disease. At the same time, they're expanding their national network of battery drop-off sites, now reaching nearly 750 locations across the country.

Michigan's state forests, heavily logged in the late 1800s, will get native jack pine and red pine species back. These trees help restore the natural balance that disappeared more than a century ago.

In Northern Minnesota's Chippewa National Forest, new plantings address damage from invasive insects, disease, and severe storms. The focus includes both wetlands and upland areas that support clean water and diverse wildlife.

Oregon's Klamath Falls Basin, still recovering from the massive 2021 Bootleg Fire, rounds out the planting sites. Bald eagles and large mammals depend on this habitat for survival.

The Ripple Effect

The battery recycling push tackles a problem most people don't see but everyone creates. Americans toss millions of batteries each year, many containing lithium, cobalt, and other materials that can be recovered and reused instead of mined fresh from the earth.

Cirba Solutions hosted a collection drive at the Detroit Zoo on April 18-19, accepting everything from household alkaline batteries to damaged lithium-ion units that need special handling. Their WeRecycle Battery Map now connects users to drop-off points at retail stores, municipal centers, and dedicated facilities nationwide.

For schools and businesses, the company offers WeRecycle Battery Boxes, pre-packaged kits that meet federal safety guidelines for collecting and shipping used batteries. These tools remove the guesswork from proper disposal.

Karen Gay, the company's Community Engagement Manager, explains the connection: recovering materials from old batteries reduces the need to extract raw resources, which protects forests and ecosystems from mining damage.

Through the SustainABILITY 10,000 initiative, Cirba Solutions partners with schools, cities, and nonprofits to teach communities why battery recycling matters and how to do it safely. The goal is building habits that last beyond a single Earth Day.

By linking tree planting with practical recycling access, the company shows how environmental wins can happen on multiple fronts at once.