Call2Recycle Celebrates National Battery Day With Milestone Year Of 8.4 Million Pounds Of Batteries Collected & Recycled

ATLANTA - To celebrate National Battery Day on February 18, Call2Recycle^®, the country's first and largest consumer battery stewardship and recycling program, announced today that their collection partners, stewards, and consumers recycled 8.4 million pounds of batteries throughout the U.S. in 2020, an 11% increase from 2019. The collection milestone underscores the organization's work over the last 26 years to safely collect and recycle used consumer batteries.

With millions across the nation homebound last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers might have been deterred from taking batteries to a recycling collection location. However, for many, being at home created opportunities to organize, clean and manage items that may have otherwise gone overlooked – like batteries. A recent Ipsos survey commissioned by Call2Recycle revealed that consumer recycling trends remained robust, mirroring each other on the East and West Coasts. More than half of respondents in both Vermont and California reported they recycled all or some of their batteries in 2020, while more than 40% of respondents were storing all or some of their consumer batteries for a future recycling trip.  

The COVID-19 pandemic and stay home orders impacted Call2Recycle's rechargeable battery collections, which declined by 10% from 2019, yet the total volume of batteries collected led to historic collection numbers surpassing its record collections set in 2017. The increased usage and handling of batteries place an even greater need for consumers to understand the safety and environmental risks associated with improperly managing batteries at their end of life.  Call2Recycle will further expand its awareness and education efforts and diverse service and solution offerings to help prevent battery safety incidents and motivate consumers to take responsible action.

Call2Recycle particularly saw a surge in its partners' commitment to recycle primary batteries, which proved to be a driving force in the organization's 2020 landmark collection numbers with 3.2 million pounds of primary batteries collected, a growth of 77% compared to 2019. Other sectors that contributed to notable primary battery collections included retailers with more than 2.3 million pounds, battery manufacturers with 1.8 million pounds and healthcare with 145,000 pounds.

"Achieving record-breaking collection numbers during a global pandemic is a testament to our incredible stewards and program partners," said Leo Raudys, CEO & President of Call2Recycle, Inc. "We are exceedingly thankful to everyone involved in our program who helped make the year a success particularly during such a difficult time."

Consumer battery recycling is an easy and impactful activity to conserve natural resources and protect the planet. Learn how to get started and find a battery recycling location near you by visiting call2recycle.org.

About Call2Recycle

Call2Recycle, Inc. is committed to protecting and preserving the environment through responsible end-of-life management of batteries, cellphones, and related products. Founded in 1994, the not-for-profit organization works on behalf of stakeholders to provide its consumer battery recycling program to consumers across the U.S. Visit call2recycle.org. Follow on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. 

SOURCE Call2Recycle, Inc.