From left to right: The Honourable David Piccini, MPP Laura Smith, Call2Recycle President Joe Zenobio and Earth Rangers President Tovah Barocas
Watch the Battery Blitz Kickoff video here!
Toronto, ON, March 2, 2023 – Call2Recycle and Earth Rangers kicked off the first Ontario edition of their Battery Blitz contest on Thursday afternoon with the help of the Honourable David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks of Ontario. During an event held at Saint Anthony Catholic Elementary School in Thornhill (ON), Minister Piccini and Thornhill MPP Laura Smith impressed upon the school’s 240 students the active role they can play in protecting their environment by recycling batteries.
The Battery Blitz contest, organized twice a year with partner elementary schools across Canada, encourages students to collect as many used batteries as possible over the contest period. Winning schools with the highest battery collections receive a monetary prize that they can use to fund environmental education and materials. Through this initiative, students can form lifelong habits and play a positive role in managing their environment.
The launch of the Battery Blitz contest in Ontario represents a major initiative in educating consumers in Ontario and is part of Call2Recycle’s larger plan to drive battery recycling volume in Ontario. The expansion into Ontario is a step up for the contest, with over 40 new schools already signed up for the contest, and 60 more expected to participate this year. It illustrates a major effort in the province to increase waste management and environmental protection, by focusing on recycling at multiple levels – schools, municipalities or retailers. Call2Recycle is committed to help reach Ontario’s objective of collecting 3.5 million kilograms of used batteries in 2023, through its extensive collection and recycling network.
Everyone can play a role in protecting our environment, which is why it’s especially inspiring to see elementary school students take the lead in cleaning up their community through the Battery Blitz Collection Contest,” said David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “This important initiative by Call2Recycle and Earth Rangers teaches students how to recycle batteries, which helps reduce waste and litter, keeping our air, land and water clean for future generations.
The contest has been active since 2016 and is already present in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island. In 2022, 53 Canadian elementary schools participated in the contest, collecting over 13,700 kilograms of used batteries for recycling – the equivalent of the weight of 30 grizzly bears. This long-term partnership between Earth Rangers and Call2Recycle illustrates the leadership and commitment from both organizations in the field of recycling and environmental protection.
Ontario elementary schools interested in participating in the Battery Blitz contest are invited to contact Earth Rangers at [email protected] to sign up for the contest and participate in the two editions of the contest in April and October 2023.
About Earth Rangers
Earth Rangers is the kids’ conservation organization, committed to instilling environmental knowledge, positivity, and the confidence to take action in children across North America. We do this through a suite of programming that is educational and engaging—but more importantly, our programs show children that it’s not too late to help the planet, and the things we do today will matter tomorrow. Founded as a small community organization in Canada in 2004, Earth Rangers has since grown to be the largest youth environmental organization globally with over 325,000 members and alumni.
About Call2Recycle Canada, Inc.
Call2Recycle® is Canada’s leading organization for battery collection and recycling, fulfilling product stewardship obligations on behalf of over 400 members, including producers of single-use and rechargeable batteries. It is the provincially-approved consumer battery collection and recycling program for British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, and Prince Edward Island, and operates as a registered Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) in Ontario according to the Ontario Batteries Regulation. Call2Recycle accepts household batteries (weighing up to 5 kg) for recycling and eTransport batteries used to power eBikes, eScooters, eSkateboards, Hoverboards and Electric Vehicles (EVs).
Since its inception in 1997, Call2Recycle has diverted almost 40 million kilograms of batteries from Canadian landfills. This reputation for excellence has enabled Call2Recycle to maintain trusted, long-term relationships with stakeholders and a network of more than 10,000 participating collection locations across Canada, including at leading retailers and municipal facilities.