North American battery champion sets new collection record

USA – Consumers recycled a record-setting 14 million pounds (6350 tonnes) of batteries and mobile phones via collections across the USA and Canada last year, according to Call2Recycle. Enhanced accessibility and consumer awareness are said to have played a vital role in driving the 12% year-on-year increase in the total weight of materials collected and responsibly recycled by the organisation.

This major environmental achievement marks the 20th consecutive year of increased collections by Call2Recycle, contributing to the 129 million pounds (58 500 tonnes) of batteries diverted from landfills over the past 21 years. Collections from public, consumer-facing networks amounted to more than 4.7 million pounds (2100 tonnes) of batteries, which represents an increase of 28%.

Collections from municipalities soared 150%. Additionally, the number of primary batteries collected in 2016 skyrocketed 158%.