Call2Recycle releases 2023 national battery collection and recycling data

Call2Recycle Inc., an Atlanta-based consumer battery stewardship and collection program, has released its annual battery collection data for 2023. Despite rising costs in battery recycling last year, the organization reports that more than 8 million pounds of batteries were collected for recycling in the United States, including more than 5.4 million pounds of rechargeable batteries and more than 2.6 million pounds of primary batteries.

According to Call2Recycle, which works to advance battery collection and recycling in the U.S. through the support of battery and product manufacturers, consumers and collection sites, U.S. battery collections increased by 1.5 percent overall from 2022, with an increase of 11 percent for single-use battery collections, while rechargeable battery collections decreased by 2.8 percent.

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Citing retail companies such as Staples, which now accepts single-use and rechargeable batteries at its nearly 1,000 stores across the U.S., and legislation such as Washington’s new program to collect single-use batteries, Call2Recycle tells Recycling Today the increase in single-use battery collection can be attributed to the willingness of sites to accept and fund the recycling of such batteries.

Additionally, the organization says its solution, OneDrum, also gained momentum throughout 2023. According to Call2Recycle, OneDrum takes the guesswork out of battery recycling and reduces the amount of staff time needed by collection sites to properly prepare batteries for shipment to a recycler. This allows sites to promote their battery recycling programs and increase volumes of batteries from their residents and consumers without fear of tying up valuable labor for hours preparing batteries for shipment.

As for the decrease in rechargeable battery collections last year, Call2Recycle says more and more such batteries are being “embedded” in products and cannot be easily accessed by consumers, limiting the number of rechargeable batteries that can be removed from products and recycled through the program.

The organization says various factors led to the increase in recycling costs in 2023, including market changes, inflationary pressures and its continuing commitment to safety in transportation, which influenced the cost to collect kits, sort, transport and process batteries.

“Providing battery collection and recycling services to consumers and collection partners nationwide continues to be a top priority,” Call2Recycle says.

In its 2023 report, Call2Recycle notes that more than 60,000 pounds of e-bike batteries were collected and recycled during the second year of the voluntary, industry-supported e-bike battery recycling program, powered by Call2Recycle and endorsed by PeopleForBikes. Supported by 56 participating brands, the program now has more than 1,900 specially trained e-bike battery collection sites nationwide.

“The data is incredibly encouraging,” Call2Recycle says, adding that 26,000 pounds of e-bike batteries were collected and recycled in 2022.

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“We’re thrilled to continue our progress each year towards a more sustainable and circular economy,” Call2Recycle CEO Leo Raudys says. “Due to the challenges posed by rising collection costs, collective action is more important now than ever. The joint efforts between regulators, manufacturers, retailers and consumers are imperative to drive progress. Together, we reaffirm our commitment to responsible battery recycling and look forward to continuing our journey towards a circular economy.”

Call2Recycle offers multiple avenues for consumers to recycle their batteries, including a locator page on its website, where consumers can find nearby drop-off locations such as Staples, Home Depot, Lowe’s and Best Buy. Consumers seeking an at-home solution can purchase a battery recycling box, which includes prepaid shipping to safely recycle dry-cell single-use batteries, rechargeable batteries and cellphones.