ERI Partners with Call2Recycle and CellBlock FCS

RESNO, Calif.--Last week on Earth Day, Call2Recycle, the country’s first and largest consumer battery stewardship and recycling program, announced the official launch of OneDrum™, the first mixed consumer battery collection product in the market. Teaming with CellBlock FCS and ERI, Call2Recycle’s OneDrum solution allows customers to place and transport large volumes of consumer single-use and rechargeable batteries in one convenient container—eliminating the need to sort by chemistry or individually bag or tape battery terminals.

First implemented as a pilot program in 2020 across a dozen battery collection sites in the United States, the original idea behind OneDrum was an accessible, scalable, and time-saving solution that helps municipalities and other organizations manage large volumes of collected batteries more easily and efficiently. The pilot was extremely successful, with collection sites reporting up to 80 percent time savings in preparing batteries for transporting and recycling compared to their current process.

“OneDrum addresses the pain points of efficiency, cost, and storage that many of our municipal partners face,” said Leo Raudys, CEO of Call2Recycle, Inc. “The benefits this solution provides to our collection partners are invaluable, and we’re proud of the collaboration between CellBlock FCS, ERI, and Call2Recycle to launch this major achievement. This safe, all-in-one solution will revolutionize the consumer battery collection and recycling process, allowing local recycling programs the opportunity to really grow and flourish, increasing capacity and community access to battery recycling.”

OneDrum is infused with CellBlockEX, an environmentally-friendly extinguishing agent made from recycled glass and manufactured by CellBlock FCS. This packaging filler cushions the batteries and helps to protect against short circuits, mitigating the risk of thermal events while still satisfying the U.S. Department of Transportation’s requirements for transporting mixed batteries.

“Incorporating CellBlockEX technology into OneDrum provides that necessary layer of safety and reassurance for storing and shipping batteries,” said Dylan Vandemark, CTO at CellBlock FCS. “We are thrilled to see how CellBlockEX is helping to transform safe battery handling so that collection sites can ship their mixed batteries with confidence.”

Following the successful pilot program, Call2Recycle engaged ERI, the nation’s leading fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition company, for sorting and recovery services. The three teams have merged their respective specialties in safety, asset disposition, sorting, battery collection and recycling to officially roll out OneDrum to national battery recycling centers and collection sites.

“At ERI, we fully understand the importance of safety and the value of efficiency, while contributing to responsible circular economy and ESG behaviors,” said John Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of ERI. “OneDrum is truly a trailblazing product, opening the door for even more innovation in the battery recycling industry and making these solutions more accessible to communities across the United States. We’re very proud to team with our friends at Call2Recycle and CellBlock FCS on this important innovation.”

“As the use of batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries, continues to increase due to a rise in sustainable technologies and electronic devices, this new technology will provide a safe and effective solution for decades to come,” added Shegerian.

With the implementation of this new all-in-one solution, recycling facilities and collection sites across the country can save time, reduce storage footprints, and ultimately define new standards for consumer battery recycling.

For more information on OneDrum, visit www.call2recycle.org/onedrum.

About Call2Recycle, Inc.

Operating with a commitment to safety and environmental excellence, Call2Recycle is the country’s premier battery collection, logistics and recycling program. Founded in 1994, the not-for-profit organization has safely and responsibly collected and recycled over 140 million pounds of batteries across the U.S. For more information about Call2Recycle, visit call2recycle.org.

About CellBlock FCS

CellBlock FCS provides modern storage and containment solutions for a lithium-powered world. Stored energy is increasingly present in our lives. CellBlock’s goal is to match the speed of emerging technology with engineered products that address safety concerns at every level — from development to deployment. Visit cellblockfcs.com.

About ERI

ERI is the largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company in the United States. ERI is certified at the highest level by all leading environmental and data security oversight organizations to de-manufacture, recycle, and refurbish every type of electronic device in an environmentally responsible manner. ERI has the capacity to process more than a billion pounds of electronic waste annually at its eight certified locations, serving every zip code in the United States. ERI’s mission is to protect people, the planet and privacy. For more information about e-waste recycling and ERI, call 1-800-ERI-DIRECT or visit https://eridirect.com.