Call2Recycle Canada, Inc. Celebrates 20 Years of Battery Stewardship in Canada

Battery collection and recycling program, Call2Recycle®, kicks off milestone year with record-breaking collections in 2016

TORONTO, Jan. 26, 2017 /CNW/ - Call2Recycle Canada, Inc., Canada's national consumer battery collection and recycling organization, is ringing in the new year with two milestone celebrations – the 20^th anniversary of its commitment to help Canadians collect used batteries for recycling and record-breaking collections in 2016.

The organization was founded in 1997 by the battery industry long before provincial mandates to collect and recycle batteries. The industry sought to voluntarily control the amount of waste it was contributing to the waste stream through a national collection and recycling effort. Since its inception, the Call2Recycle® program in Canada has collected more than 13 million kilograms of batteries for recycling.

"We have been able to responsibly manage the end-of-life of batteries thanks to the overwhelming support and participation of our stewards, collection sites and the public," said Joe Zenobio, Executive Director of Call2Recycle Canada, Inc. "For the past 20 years, Canadians have helped us in collecting and responsibly recycling batteries across the country. We want to thank Canadians for their continued role in keeping batteries out of our landfills and are excited to continue working together to make a positive environmental impact for years to come."

2016 marks the program's best year by far. A record of more than 2.7-million kilograms of household batteries were collected in Canada in 2016 – an increase of 12 per cent over 2015. Provincially:

• Quebec collected nearly 1.1-million kilograms (up 17 per cent, compared to 2015);
• Manitoba collected nearly 100,000 kilograms (up 19 per cent over 2015);
• British Columbia collected just under 700,000 kilograms (up eight per cent over 2015);
• Ontario collected more than 400,000 kilograms (up eight per cent over 2015).

The continued growth of the Call2Recycle program signifies that Canadians are looking for ways to reduce waste. In fact, Call2Recycle research conducted through Nielsen, a leading consumer research organization, shows that more than seven in ten Canadian consumers are aware of battery recycling in their communities. The study also highlighted the opportunity for growth: despite high awareness, just over half of Canadian consumers would classify themselves as battery recyclers.

"As we celebrate this milestone year, we will continue to offer a robust, convenient program that ensures consumers can recycle their batteries safely and with ease. We are looking to all Canadians to join together to reduce waste and make an even greater positive impact on the environment in 2017," further commented Zenobio.

To help ensure Call2Recycle's collection and recycling program remains sustainable, while continuing to meet the highest environmental standards, Call2Recycle Canada, Inc. will begin implementing an Environmental Handling Fee (EHF) on single-use household batteries in British Columbia and Manitoba, effective February 1, 2017. At the same time, the fee schedule for batteries currently in place in Quebec will be amended. This industry best practice will ensure Call2Recycle continues to be able to responsibly recycle batteries at the end of their useful life. For more information on updates to the EHF fee schedule, please visit call2recycle.ca/fee-schedule.  

About the Nielsen Study
The study was conducted via online survey in the U.S. and Canada. In the U.S., a total of 3,001 responses were collected during the field period, which took place from November 13, 2015 to November 30, 2015. In Canada, a total of 3,010 responses were collected during the field period, which took place from December 1, 2015 to December 21, 2015. Respondents were qualified based on being age 18+, and on not working in an industry related to this study: advertising, marketing research, public relations, or waste management/recycling.

About Call2Recycle Canada, Inc.
Call2Recycle Canada, Inc. is committed to protecting and preserving the environment through collecting and recycling consumer batteries. Founded in 1997, the not-for-profit organization works on behalf of stakeholders to provide its battery recycling program to consumers across Canada through 8,000 convenient drop-off locations. Visit call2recycle.ca.

SOURCE Call2Recycle

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Emma McKay, Environics Communications, [email protected], [phone]; Linda Gabor, VP of Marketing & Customer Service, Call2Recycle®, [email protected] , [phone]