Over 300,000 kg recycled in partnership with battery collection and recycling program, Call2Recycle®
(Vancouver, B.C.) April 20, 2017 — London Drugs, in partnership with Call2Recycle®, Canada’s national consumer battery collection and recycling program, announced today that it has diverted over 300,000 kg of batteries from landfill through recycling since 2000. That’s the equivalent weight of 1.7 million hockey pucks. London Drugs is the first Western Canada-based retailer in the Call2Recycle program to reach this recycling milestone.
Seventeen years ago, London Drugs began offering the Call2Recycle battery take-back program to its customers in its stores throughout Western Canada. Originally accepting only rechargeable batteries, the program expanded to include single-use batteries (such as AA, AAA, 9v, etc.) in 2010 in BC and in 2012 to the rest of western Canada. London Drugs now averages about 50,000 kg of batteries collected annually from its 79 stores.
“We are committed to offering sustainable options for our customers — not only through the products we sell, but also by providing solutions for the proper end-of-life management for those products,” says Maury McClausland, London Drugs’ Retail Operations Sustainability Specialist. “Offering an in-store battery recycling program to our customers aligns with our overall environmental commitment to ensure we are lessening our impact on our planet and in our communities.”
To enhance the customer’s recycling experience, London Drugs has developed easy-to-use recycling kiosks and special signage to help educate consumers on the importance of battery recycling, as well as other materials. In addition to batteries, consumers can also recycle over 15 types of materials in-store at London Drugs – ranging from plastic bags to Brita water filters to small appliances.
“Since our program launched in Canada 20 years ago, we have successfully collected and recycled over 13.5 million kilograms of batteries,” said Joe Zenobio, president of Call2Recycle Canada, Inc. “Without the commitment to responsible recycling from collection partners like London Drugs, this accomplishment wouldn’t be possible. We congratulate them on this significant milestone.”
To find a London Drugs or other participating Call2Recycle drop-off location near you, visit call2recycle.ca/locator/.
About Call2Recycle Canada, Inc.:
Call2Recycle Canada, Inc. is a not-for-profit, stewardship organization committed to the safe collection, transportation and recycling of consumer batteries across Canada. Their mission is and continues to be responsibly managing the end-of-life of batteries to keep them out of landfills and minimize environmental impact. Working on behalf of their stakeholders, the Call2Recycle program has established a best-in-class collection and recycling program that ensures the batteries collected from its network of over 8,000 drop-off sites are responsibly and safely recycled.
About London Drugs:
Founded in 1945, B.C.-based London Drugs has 79 stores in more than 35 major markets throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba including its online store www.londondrugs.com. London Drugs offers consumers a range of products from digital cameras and cosmetics to computers and televisions. Renowned for its creative approach to retailing, the company employs more than 7,000 people with pharmacy and health care services being the heart of its business. Committed to innovation and superior customer service, London Drugs has established itself as a reputable and caring company and continues to position itself for future growth and development.