Person who Helps Recycle Batteries Offers Wise Advice: Check What you Drop Off Before Leaving

At first, Stephen Royse looked like a typical worker who would recycle and haul batteries Saturday at the Sammamish Spring Recycling Collection Event.

Standing in the back of his cargo truck at , he sported gloves, an orange safety vest and sturdy shoes. It wasn't until Tim Greenan, site supervisor for Olympic Environmental Resources, pointed out that Royse - who works for a subcontractor - was busy.

How so?

"He's swamped," Greenan said. "Household batteries are popular. They're hard to get rid of."

As Royse, who works for All Battery, sorted and inspected items, Sammamish residents left their cars, trucks and SUVs and placed bags of batteries on the ground. Then, they left.

Sammamish Patch hung around and asked Royse just how busy he was with batteries. Only a few bags were on the ground.

"Do you want see?" he said. "Come on up here."

Inside the cargo truck, a yellow plastic bin contained hundreds, if not thousands, of ordinary, household batteries. There were brand names and generics, round and rectangle ones.

They've energized flashlights and a host of other electronic items, only to end their charged lives, on this day, in a Sammamish parking lot. They were destined for a smelter in Canada, Royse said.

Then, he offered some sound and wise advice, especially coming from someone who has done this type of work for eight years.

"Be careful. Watch what you're putting in."

Why?

Once at a recycling event, a surprise spilled out with the batteries - a Rolex watch. He believes it's worth between $4,000 to $5,000.

The way recycling events, such as this one, work is that people drive up, drop off unwanted items and leave. It's not like finding a lost wallet or purse, where a driver's license can be used to track down the owner.

So, what did Royse do with his find?

"I gave it to my wife," he said.

Which, of course, begged the question: What else has he found?

Over the years, he said, he has come across loose change in bags or boxes with batteries, as well as gold rings, car keys and wallets.

It was easy to find the owners of the wallets and return them, he said.

His theory is that batteries might get tossed into a pocket with coins. Then, a person empties his or her pockets.

At some point, other valuables get mixed in with the batteries and coins. Everything then gets tossed in a bag or box, which will later be dropped off at a recycling event.

Of course, the catch: People might be so busy that they don't realize exactly what is in that bag or box, other than the batteries.

For some people, it is common to misplace valuables at home. The conventional thinking is most likely: "Well, it has to be here somewhere. It doesn't have feet so it didn't walk away."

But Royse's advice is particularly useful in Sammamish because, well in December, a woman actually lost an $80,000 diamond-and-sapphire Rolex watch.

Sammamish police investigated and were fortunate enough to find it - in a man's safety deposit box. That man, police reported, had 16 prior felony convictions.

At Eastlake High School on Saturday, that big yellow bin full of batteries was staggering and a bit mesmerizing.

There have been times, Royse said, when he has collected so many household batteries that he has a mound or hill of them in his truck.

So, Sammamish Patch asked, just out of curiosity, whether he has dreams about batteries.

"Yes, I do," he said. "I see myself loading and doing what I do."

Does he ever get tired of dealing with them?

"No," he said. "It keeps life interesting."

One item he has yet to find among the thousands of batteries is a diamond ring.

Editor's note: If you didn't see the general photo gallery of Saturday's recycling event at Eastlake High School, click here.