Call2Recycle Canada and GFL Environmental Services Partner to Expand Western Canada’s Battery Recycling Capacity

February 1, 2023

3 Min Read
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Call2Recycle Canada and GFL Environmental Services Inc. are pleased to announce a new agreement to expand the sorting capacity of end-of-life batteries in Western Canada. This agreement will bring GFL’s expertise and waste management centre in Delta, BC, to support Call2Recycle’s existing vast battery collection and recycling network, bolstering British Columbia’s circular economy sector and reducing the carbon footprint of the recycling supply chain in Western Canada.

British Columbians have positioned their province as a Canadian leader in recycling, working with Call2Recycle and its vast network of trusted partners to safely collect, transport and recycle nearly 8 millions kgs of used batteries in British Columbia since 2010. This new partnership will effectively double the used battery sorting capacity and significantly enhance the battery recycling eco-system, offering new opportunities to increase battery collection volume throughout the entire Western Canada region.

“We are excited to expand our relationship with GFL Environmental Services and leverage their considerable expertise and presence in British Columbia. We share a common vision of offering efficient and sustainable battery disposal solutions to all Canadians”, said Joe Zenobio, President of Call2Recycle Canada. “Access to the Delta waste management centre means that we will be able to better fulfill our mission of safely collecting and recycling as many batteries as possible, supporting BC’s local economy and environmental commitment”.

This agreement comes as part of Call2Recycle’s commitment to expand its battery collection and recycling network across Canada through its continued open-supplier strategy, in order to pursue its role as Canada’s leading battery recycling organization supporting consumers, communities and governments across Canada for the past 25 years.

Key Facts

  • Sorting is an essential phase of the waste collection and recycling process, in this case ensuring that the used batteries are properly separated and that the recycling “streams” do not contain mixed chemistries. This allows the used batteries stream to be safely recycled through appropriate methods, ensuring the highest quality output and reducing the overall environmental footprint.

  • Call2Recycle has a 25-year history with almost 40 million kgs of batteries collected and recycled, including over 850,000 kgs in British Columbia in 2021, the highest total in the province’s history.

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.

About GFL Environmental Services

GFL, headquartered in Vaughan, Ontario, is the fourth largest diversified environmental services company in North America, providing a comprehensive line of solid waste management, liquid waste management and soil remediation services through its platform of facilities throughout Canada and in more than half of the U.S. states. Across its organization, GFL has a workforce of more than 18,000 employees.

GFL is publicly traded and was recently awarded the National Waste & Recycling Association ("NWRA") 2022 Recycling Facility of the Year for its Multi Material Recovery Campus in Toronto, Ontario. The award recognizes leading material recovery facilities ("MRFs") in North America based on key factors such as innovation, partnership, public education and environmental impact.

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