Back-to-School Battery Recycling Contest 2016 launches across Manitoba!

Take Pride Winnipeg & Call2Recycle motivate schools to lead the charge to recycle batteries

WINNIPEG, June 7, 2016 /CNW/ - Call2Recycle Canada, Inc. has partnered with Take Pride Winnipeg! Inc. to launch a Manitoba-wide Back-to-School Battery Recycling Contest to inspire Manitoba school children to keep batteries and cellphones out of landfills and protect the environment.  All schools in Manitoba are being encouraged to compete for some great rewards.  The school that collects the most batteries will win a donation of $1,500. Three other schools who demonstrate exceptional efforts and battery recycling displays will win three additional donations of $500 each.

All Manitoba schools can visit www.call2recycle.ca/back2school to register for the contest by the end of June, or can contact Call2Recycle for further information. Then, all through summer, school children will be cheered on to collect used household batteries under 5 kg from family, friends and relatives and take them back to participating schools in September to help their schools win the grand prizes. Call2Recycle is reminding children that only terminals of lithium or small sealed lead acid batteries need to be taped for safety purposes; other batteries can just be collected in a box or bag, then dropped off at a participating school or at a Call2Recycle location.

The Back-to-School Battery Contest formally launches today at Sustainability Day at the Zoo, a collaboration between Take Pride Winnipeg! Inc. and Assiniboine Park Zoo. Call2Recycle is the Title Sponsor of this event. During the day, booths will be set up inside the Zoo for all to learn more about recycling, producing less waste and creating a more sustainable future. As an added bonus, admission prices will be reduced 25% on June 7, 2016.

In the evening, attendees can enjoy cocktails and appetizers at the Journey to Churchill Building at the Zoo, then listen to a keynote presentation on sustainability from Becky Lyons, Chief Operating Officer for Keep America Beautiful, followed by speeches from Manitoba's Minister of Sustainable Development, Cathy Cox; Christina McDonald, COO, Green Manitoba and Margaret Redmond, President & CEO of Assiniboine Park Conservancy. Delphine Lagourgue, Director, Central Canada, Call2Recycle Canada Inc., and Tom Ethans, Executive Director, Take Pride Winnipeg! Inc. will jointly launch the campaign for battery collection among all schools. Tickets for the evening event can be purchased by contacting Tom Ethans, Executive Director at Take Pride Winnipeg! Inc.

Joe Zenobio, Executive Director, Call2Recycle Canada Inc. said, "We are proud of our partnership with Take Pride Winnipeg! Inc., an organization dedicated to inspiring community pride, raising public awareness and promoting citizen responsibility in keeping Manitoba clean and beautiful. We hope that every school in Manitoba signs up to enter the campaign which will not only educate and inform children about the importance of recycling batteries, but will also nurture community spirit by bringing together school staff, communities and youth in a common cause."

Call2Recycle accepts household batteries (weighing up to 5 kg) and used cellphones (any make, model, or age).  To find the drop-off location nearest you, please visit call2recycle.ca/locator.

Call2Recycle Canada, Inc.

Call2Recycle Canada, Inc. is a premier product stewardship organization dedicated to minimizing the environmental impacts of products in the marketplace. Operating across Canada and the U.S., its marquee battery recycling program Call2Recycle® is the oldest and largest consumer battery stewardship program, collecting and recycling batteries for retailers, municipalities, businesses and consumers through its network of 8,000 collection sites in Canada. Since 1996, over 45 million kilograms of batteries and cellphones have been diverted from the solid waste stream in North America. Learn more at call2recycle.ca.

SOURCE Call2Recycle

For further information: Sandra Abuwalla, Director, Marketing & Communications, Call2Recycle Canada, Inc., [e-mail], [phone]