As Canada’s leading organization for battery collection, recycling, and safety education, Call2Recycle is proud to launch the third edition of its annual Battery Safety Awareness campaign: Protect What Matters. Be Battery Safe.
Running throughout July and August 2026, the campaign reinforces Call2Recycle’s commitment to helping Canadians, municipalities, collection partners, and industry stakeholders safely manage batteries at every stage of their lifecycle, including at the end of life. Collection partners can participate in the campaign by leveraging Call2Recycle’s comprehensive promotional toolkit, available to partners across Canada and designed to be used as-is or customized to support local outreach efforts.
With batteries powering more aspects of everyday life than ever before, battery safety has become a shared responsibility. Through education, resources, and practical guidance, Call2Recycle is helping Canadians make informed choices that reduce risk, protect communities, and ensure batteries are managed safely and responsibly.
Why Battery safety matters
Improperly handled batteries, particularly lithium-ion batteries, can pose serious safety risks. When placed in household garbage or curbside recycling, batteries can become damaged, crushed, or punctured during collection and processing, potentially causing fires in collection vehicles, material recovery facilities, and waste management operations.
These incidents can put workers, first responders, facilities, and surrounding communities at risk.
As Canada’s trusted battery stewardship organization, Call2Recycle works year-round to educate Canadians on safe battery handling and proper end-of-life management. The Protect What Matters. Be Battery Safe. campaign encourages consumers to keep batteries out of the garbage and recycling bins and instead recycle them through approved battery collection programs.
A Powerful New Public Awareness Campaign
At the centre of this year’s campaign is a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) featuring real footage of battery fires that occurred at waste management facilities.
Beginning in July, the PSA will air nationally to help Canadians understand the consequences of improper battery disposal and the simple actions they can take to help prevent these incidents.
Practical Guidance for Canadians
Beyond raising awareness, the campaign provides Canadians with practical information to safely manage batteries at home and prepare them for recycling.
Key topics include:
- Proper battery storage and handling
- Terminal protection before recycling
- Safe management of damaged, defective, or recalled (DDR) batteries
- Special handling considerations for e-mobility batteries
- How and where to recycle batteries safely
By helping Canadians understand these best practices, Call2Recycle aims to prevent incidents before they occur and support safer communities across the country.
Working Together to Build a Battery-Safe Canada
Battery safety is a collective effort. Municipalities, waste and recycling operators, fire services, retailers, and community organizations all play an important role in educating residents and promoting safe battery management.
To support these efforts, Call2Recycle has developed a comprehensive campaign toolkit available to partners across Canada.
Partners can even customize the assets by adding their own logo.
Together, we can help Canadians protect what matters most by making battery safety part of everyday life.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the campaign or ideas of collaboration to raise awareness about the importance of battery safety, please send an email to [email protected]