Battery Recycling Program Celebrates 17 Consecutive Years of Increased Collections

Call2Recycle, Inc. recycles over 11 million pounds (5 million kilograms) of batteries in 2013

3d growth chartATLANTA (January 8, 2014) – As North America’s first and largest battery product stewardship program, Call2Recycle® increased collections in the U.S. and Canada by 12.6 percent over 2012, diverting over 11 million pounds (5 million kilograms) of batteries from landfills.  This marks the 17th consecutive year that the organization has documented a year-over-year increase (since collections began in 1996) in the volume of batteries collected and recycled.

Consumer convenience and accessibility, through an expansive municipal and retail partnership network, remains a driving force behind increased collection volumes in 2013, as measured by Call2Recycle, Inc. Accessibility—which makes it easier for consumers, businesses and municipalities to recycle batteries—directly impacts collection volumes. Today, 89 percent of people in the U.S. and Canada reside within a 10-mile (15-kilometer) radius of a Call2Recycle drop-off site.

With the emphasis on increasing accessibility, strong growth in retail and municipal collections helped drive the results across North America. Some 4.7 million pounds (2.1 million kilograms) of batteries were collected through retail channels in the U.S. and Canada (combined), with 3.6 million pounds (1.6 million kilograms) coming from the U.S. and 1.1 million pounds (499,000 kilograms) coming from Canada.

Not surprisingly, states and provinces with strong participation and commitment from retailers and municipalities have greater collection results. In the U.S., three states achieved major milestones: For the second year in a row, Calif. collected more than 1 million pounds of batteries and, since the program began, has collected more than 9 million pounds. Battery collections in Tex. and Fla. hit cumulative totals of 8 million and 4 million respectively.

In Canada, collections in all municipalities nationwide skyrocketed. Regulated provinces—British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec—collected almost 1.4 million pounds (625,000 kilograms) of batteries.  The remaining provinces, including Ontario, capitalized on the broad continued participation of retailers and municipalities by increasing collections 72% since 2012.

“Our battery recycling results are a true testament to the continued commitment by all of our partners: municipalities, retailers, consumers and industry stewards,” said Carl Smith, CEO and president of Call2Recycle, Inc. “Serving as the collection and recycling solution for such a diverse group—with a unified focus on proper end-of-life disposal of batteries—is an honor. These end-of-year results mean that attitudes and practices are continuously improving.”

 

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