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County curbside battery recycling reaches new milestone

December 20, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The County of Simcoe, along with Call2Recycle Canada, the nation’s leading battery collection and recycling organization, has announced a milestone in battery recycling and sustainable waste management.

The County collected over 50,000 kg – the equivalent weight of 30 cars – through its Battery Collection Week from Nov. 3 – 7. This was one of the most successful curbside battery collection events in Canada and the 27-year history of the Call2Recycle program.

Throughout the year, the County of Simcoe and Call2Recycle have worked together to recycle used batteries while educating the region’s 350,000+ 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 publication of educational materials about battery recycling and the distribution of bags for residents to place their batteries in for at-the-curb pickup has contributed to the success of this recycling accomplishment.

The County of Simcoe and Call2Recycle Canada have combined efforts since 2020 to support the County’s sustainability objectives, collecting over 225,000 kg of used batteries since the partnership began.

“The outstanding battery recycling efforts by the County’s residents demonstrate our community’s strong environmental consciousness,” said Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke. “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.”

Last year, the County was awarded the Leader in Sustainability Award from Call2Recycle for its battery recycling commitment.

“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,” said Joe Zenobio, president of Call2Recycle Canada.

Call2Recycle operates in Ontario as the largest registered battery Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), with almost 3,000 convenient Recycle your Batteries, Canada, drop-off points in the province easily accessible to over 98 per cent of Ontarians.

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