Call2Recycle Canada, Ontario county achieve battery recycling milestone

The County of Simcoe, Ontario, and Toronto-based battery stewardship organization Call2Recycle Canada say they recently have achieved a collection milestone.

According to Call2Recycle, the county collected more than 50,000 kilograms of spent batteries during its Battery Collection Week, held November 4-7. The organization says it was one of the most successful curbside battery collection events in its 27-year history in the country.

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Throughout 2024, the county and Call2Recycle have worked together to recycle used batteries, educating the region’s 350,000-plus residents about the benefits of responsible battery recycling practices and making battery recycling more accessible through the county’s five permanent household hazardous waste depots where batteries can be dropped off any time of the year. The partners say these efforts culminated during the county’s Battery Collection Week curbside initiative, with the publication of educational materials about battery recycling through the distribution of bags for residents to place their batteries directly at the curb during waste collection, which greatly contributed to the success of the program.

The county and Call2Recycle have combined efforts since 2020 to support the county’s sustainability goals, collecting more than 225,000 kg of used batteries since the partnership began. In 2023, the county was awarded the Leader in Sustainability Award from Call2Recycle for its battery recycling commitment.

“The outstanding battery recycling efforts by the county’s residents demonstrate our community’s strong environmental consciousness,” Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke says. “On behalf of the County of Simcoe, I could not be more proud of the residents of Simcoe County. This illustrates our dedication to making communities even more responsible, to create a lasting and meaningful environmental impact.”

Call2Recycle operates in Ontario as the largest registered battery producer responsibility organization (PRO), with almost 3,000 battery drop-off points in the province that are designed to be easily accessed by more than 98 percent of Ontarians.

“Simcoe County’s exceptional achievement is a powerful environmental success story for Ontarians, as we continue engaging and encouraging other municipalities across the province to adopt similar curbside collection initiatives to help advance Ontario’s waste diversion goals,” Call2Recycle Canada President Joe Zenobio says.