Promoting battery recycling wins Winnipeg Public Library a community bike rack

Written for Call2Recycle web/newsletter, December 2013

For Waste Reduction Week 2013, Call2Recycle^® partnered with Winnipeg Public Library to raise awareness of our battery recycling program.  From October 21-27 all branches of Winnipeg Public Library competed to see which one could collect the most weight in spent batteries and used cellphones in seven days, earning the title of Winnipeg’s “Waste Ace”.

To make sure that people in Winnipeg were aware of Waste Reduction Week and the Call2Recycle program, staff in each of the branches unleashed their creativity by building eye-catching in-library displays and signage.  From Pembina Trail to West Kildonan and Westwood to Transcona, giant-sized AA batteries and other signage appeared hanging from the ceiling, Hallowe’en undead sought batteries from the living, and some library-goers were even greeted with battery requests from the characters of Star Wars. 

Both Call2Recycle and Winnipeg Public Library maintained chatter on Facebook and Twitter throughout the week.  This, combined with the displays and other promotional activity, got the message across to Winnipeggers.  By the end of the week more than 3,000 kg of batteries and cellphones had been collected.  That’s the weight of almost eight horses.  “The Winnipeg Waste Ace competition is a testimony to the power of communities,” explains Orysia Boytchuk, Marketing Director, Call2Recycle.  “The library did a great job in rallying the entire city behind battery recycling, and the entire city will benefit as a result.  It’s amazing what they managed to accomplish in such a short time.”

At the end of the week it was the community from St. Vital who triumphed, collecting 471 kg of batteries and used cellphones at their library branch.  Louis Riel Library came second with 412 kg and River Heights Library third with 309 kg.  As the winning branch, St. Vital Library got to choose the prize Call2Recycle would deliver.  After considering the needs of the local community, the team there elected to have Call2Recycle purchase a new bike rack for the library.  St. Vital Councillor Brian Mayes responded, "I would like to congratulate those who contributed to the Call2Recyle initiative by bringing in enough battery material to the St. Vital Library to garner a new bike rack that will be used by the many patrons who visit our branch."  

Rick Walker, Manager of Library Services, Winnipeg Public Library added, “The St. Vital Library has been well used by the residents of the community for over 50 years.  It’s been one of our busier branches since opening in 1963, loaning over 220,000 items annually. It is not surprising that this environmentally-conscious community would finish first in this competition, and it will be great to have a new bike rack that encourages visitors to ride their bike to the library rather than drive.”  The new bike rack will be delivered to St. Vital Library in time for spring 2014 bike riding and will serve the community for years to come.

Although Waste Reduction Week has now ended for 2013, Winnipeg Public Library continues to collect for the Call2Recycle program year-round at all 20 branches.  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, visit our online locator or call 888.224.9764.

When batteries die, do they go to battery heaven?

Written for Call2Recycle web/newsletter, December 2013

One of the most common questions received by Call2Recycle’s bustling customer service team pertains to where the batteries go once a full box leaves a collection site. 

With Call2Recycle, batteries never die.  There is no battery heaven per se, but inside Canada, used batteries are transported to one of three sorting facilities.  Anything from Eastern Canada (except Quebec) goes directly to Newalta in Fort Erie, Ontario.  Newalta is a sizeable Canadian corporation with 85 product recovery sites across the North American continent.  On a daily basis, some 2,000 personnel receive anything from crude oil to hydraulic fluid to antifreeze and, of course, batteries.

Newalta processes approximately half a million kilograms of batteries from Call2Recycle every year.  Once the batteries arrive at Newalta, staff there begin sorting them by chemistry e.g. Lithium Ion into one area, Nickel Zinc into another.  Details are recorded such as the weight and battery types received, and then updated in an IT system so that Call2Recycle can track that information. 

Once all the batteries are sorted then each chemistry type is forwarded to a different processor organisation to reclaim the chemicals and metals.  For example, cobalt is reclaimed from Lithium Ion batteries by Xstrata in Sudbury, Ontario.  Lead is recovered from Small Sealed Lead Acid (SSLA/Pb) batteries by Newalta’s sister facility in Ville Ste-Catherine, Quebec.  These reclaimed materials are then re-used to make a variety of items.

Cobalt is actually a hard, lustrous, grey metal that – in ancient civilisations – was used as a blue pigment for jewelry, paint, glass and other things.  This is why even today “cobalt” is associated with the colour blue.  Reclaimed cobalt often goes into the manufacture of new, Lithium-based batteries.  Another reclaimed material is cadmium, which is also a metal but much softer than cobalt.  Unlike most other metals, cadmium is extremely resistant to the elements, so is often used as an anti-corrosive coating on other metals.  Reclaimed cadmium is used as a stiffener in construction materials such as cement, but can also be used to make new Nickel Cadmium batteries.  Nickel is also one of the key materials reclaimed by processors.  It’s a very versatile metal that can be combined with others to make steel, alloys, or super-alloys.  Reclaimed nickel finds its way into a myriad of different stainless steel products.

As such, since 1997 Newalta has been and continues to be an integral partner in Call2Recycle’s operations, providing a local sorting facility that is the closest thing to ‘battery heaven’ in Canada.  

Even Moore Investment in Canadian Youth

Written for Call2Recycle web/newsletter, December 2013.

As you read this article, it will likely be minus 20 degrees Celsius and snowy in the small Canadian town of Lloydminster, about halfway between Edmonton and Saskatoon.  Lloydminster has the peculiar claim of being in both the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan at the same time, since the town is built directly on the East-West provincial border.

Similarly, on the cusp between November and December the town hosts the “Boundary Ford Curling Classic” event, drawing 24 teams internationally to compete for $24,000 in prize money.  It’s the third womens’ team event in the Asham World Curling Tour this year, and among those competing on the tour will be Team Moore, a womens’ curling team of four that Call2Recycle® is proudly sponsoring for the season.  Kristie Moore, Sarah Wilkes, Ashleigh Clark, and Kyla MacLachlan are competing over the four-month season for not only prize money but also for Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) points.  These will decide whether the team  qualifies for the ‘Scotties Tournament of Hearts’ provincial playdown in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, in January 2014.

“We’re very grateful to Call2Recycle for its sponsorship,” explains Sarah Wilkes, team third.  “Although curling is very popular in Canada, amateur teams like ours still have to pay for accommodation during events and the flights to get there before we’ve even picked up a broom or a stone.  Just this season will likely cost $3,500 in entry fees alone.  Without sponsorship, there would be no Team Moore.”

Ontario goes ‘Beyond Green’

Written for Call2Recycle web/newsletter, November 2013.

In an effort to raise awareness of environmental issues, Earth Day Canada organised a first-of-its-kind event in Toronto, Ontario.  The ‘Beyond Green’ summit ran from October 25^th to the 27^th at the University of Toronto, drawing more than 1,000 young Canadians aged 14 to 30 years old from inside the province and out.  

Over 100 community groups and organisations were involved in dozens of panel discussions and workgroups over the three days.  Keynote presenters included: Emily Hunter, the documentary filmmaker and author; Majora Carter, urban revitalisation specialist; and Tom Rand, clean energy champion.  Perhaps most importantly, the last hour-and-a-half of the event on Sunday afternoon was devoted solely to ‘Action Panels’, i.e. how to turn the good ideas and intentions from the event into tangible achievements.  When it comes to environmental issues, making people aware of them is only half the battle.  Encouraging them to change their behaviour takes a proper plan and the perseverance to execute it. 

Call2Recycle partners with Earth Day Canada to educate and communicate the environmental values of proper end-of-life battery management.  Earth Day Canada (EDC), a national environmental charity founded in 1990, provides Canadians with the practical knowledge and tools they need to lessen their impact on the environment.  

If you’re ever spurred into creating your own awareness-raising initiatives and need some pointers, then find us on Facebook, or check out the “Resources” section of our website. 

Winnipeg libraries to battle for batteries in Waste Reduction Week

News release written for Call2Recycle, October 2013.

***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 15, 2013

Winnipeg libraries to battle for batteries in Waste Reduction Week

Call2Recycle^® offers community prize and “Waste Ace” title for diverting the most batteries from landfill

(Winnipeg, MB) — Call2Recycle and Winnipeg Public Library are running a competition during national Waste Reduction Week, October 21-27, to see which branch can collect the most household batteries for recycling.  The community library that collects the most weight in batteries will be awarded a prize by Call2Recycle. Used batteries (weighing up to 5 kg each) and cellphones (with or without batteries), regardless of make, model, or age are accepted. 

According to Orysia Boytchuk, marketing director, Call2Recycle, “It is critical to the success of any recycling program that there are sufficient drop-off locations in the community, and that those locations are well-known.  This is why we are happy to collaborate with Winnipeg Public Library to make sure people understand just how easy battery recycling can be”. 

The genesis of Waste Reduction Week was in the mid-1980s when like-minded local government and environmental organisations in Canada first began collaborating to improve environmental awareness.  From 2001, the week became a branded, national initiative and is now an annual event.  Its organizers and participants include schools, businesses, non-profits, individuals and government departments from each of the 13 participating provincial and territorial jurisdictions across Canada.

The winning library and holder of the “Winnipeg Waste Ace” title will be announced on or close to November 18^th.

Winnipeg Public Library accepts batteries and cellphones for recycling all year round.  To learn more about the competition, or to find the nearest drop-off locations, visit call2recycle.ca/winnipegwasteace/

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For further information contact:

Glyn Davies, marketing coordinator

Call2Recycle^®

1 416 224 0069 ext 234

gdavies@call2recycle.ca

About Call2Recycle

Founded in 1994, Call2Recycle—North America’s first and largest battery stewardship program—is a non-profit organization that collects and recycles batteries at no cost for municipalities, businesses and consumers. Since 1996, Call2Recycle has diverted over 34 million kilograms of batteries and cellphones from the solid waste stream and established 30,000 collection sites throughout Canada and the U.S. It is the first program of its kind to receive the Responsible Recycling Practices Standard (R2) certification. Learn more at call2recycle.ca or call 1.888.224.9764. Become a follower or fan at Twitter or Facebook.

Winnipeg Libraries Battle for Batteries in Waste Reduction Week

Written for Call2Recycle web/newsletter, October 2013

There has been a week for reducing waste in Canada since the mid-1980s, although it wasn’t until 2001 that ‘the week’ evolved from a loose collaboration between like-minded councils and environmental organisations into a branded national initiative.  Today, Waste Reduction Week has become an annual event whose organisers and participants include schools, businesses, non-profits, individuals and government departments from each of the 13 participating provincial and territorial jurisdictions across Canada.

It’s fair to say that the organisers and volunteers behind the week have come a long way from those early days in terms of identifying potential environmental projects.  In 2012 for example: schools held waste-free lunches; communities conducted special recycling collection activities; and one organisation even had a "Re-Funk Your Junk" contest.

This year, from the 21^st to 27^th October, Call2Recycle will collaborate with Winnipeg Public Libraries to promote Waste Reduction Week amongst the people of Manitoba’s capital city.  All 19 branches will be rallying residents to drop off their used batteries and cellphones into a permanent Call2Recycle collection box as they indulge in a friendly competition.  The branch that collects the most during Waste Reduction Week will be named Winnipeg’s “Waste Ace” and awarded a community prize.  However, as long as the people using each library participate, then it could be argued far more easily that all participants are winners.  

Stay tuned for an update! In the meantime for more details, click here.

Batteries, Bugs, and the Nineteenth Hole

Written for Call2Recycle web/newsletter, October 2013.  

Did you know that the practice of changing clocks every Spring and Fall is the result of needing more time to collect insects and play golf?  

Excluding ancient civilisations, the concept of “daylight savings time” was first proposed in 1895 by an entomologist from New Zealand named George Vernon Hudson.  His motivation was to try to increase the amount of time he could study insects after work.  At almost the same time in 1907, an English builder and outdoorsman named William Willett proposed the same thing so that he would have more time to play golf in the summer evenings!  It took another decade for the practice to be adopted but by 1916 Germany, Austria, and Hungary were changing their clocks.  The ‘final straw’ for clock changing came much later, when the 1979 Oil Price Shocks led to Western nations reducing their power consumption so as to not be reliant on foreign oil.  

In the 21^st century, Call2Recycle marks these biannual alterations of time for safety reasons that still relate to power.  Many modern homes are fitted with smoke or CO₂ alarms, and the common best practice in maintaining these is to check and/or change the batteries every six months.  Indeed, in 2010 a global initiative between battery manufacturers and the International Fire Chiefs Association called, “Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery” was launched.  The intention was to try to reduce the quantity of casualties caused from fires in the home.  Today, Call2Recycle still works with more than 400 fire departments across the continent, some of whom are also drop-off locations for used batteries.  With them we have already diverted more than 11,000kg of used batteries away from landfills this year alone.  

And don’t forget, Call2Recycle has over 30,000 drop-off locations all over North America for the day when your batteries are finally spent.  After all that, if you can’t remember whether the clock should be moved forwards or backwards, then just remember that one hour’s sleep is the price we pay for Summer.