Fall back!
Sigh. Yep, it’s that time of year again. Don’t forget to turn your clocks back tonight.
I’m kind of bummed every year when Daylight Saving Time ends and all of a sudden it’s dark before we even finish dinner…but at least we gain an extra hour of sleep, right? (Ha! We all know how well that works when you’re a parent!)
Love it or hate it, the end of daylight saving time is also a good time to check the safety devices around your home that help keep your family safe. Consider this your friendly reminder to clean, test, and replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
But what should you do with all your old batteries?
You take them to your local Call2Recycle drop-off location, that’s what!
Batteries power almost everything in our lives, from our cell phones and laptops, to noisy toys (thanks Grandma!) and smoke detectors, but as convenient as batteries are, they also have a downside. Depending on the type of battery, they can release potentially hazardous materials into the environment if not disposed of properly. Lithium batteries in the landfill can cause fires or even explode. Recycling batteries protects our environment and helps conserve our natural resources.
Call2Recycle accepts all rechargeable batteries weighing up to 5 kg each, including Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), Nickel Zinc (Ni-Zn) and Small Sealed Lead Acid (SSLA/Pb), as well as single use alkaline, lithium primary and carbon-zinc batteries.
Since 1997, the program has recycled more than 18 million kilograms of batteries, keeping them out of local landfills and recovering the valuable materials inside them that can be used to create new batteries and other products. With 8,000 locations across the country, over 90% of Canadians live within 15 km of a Call2Recycle drop-off location so there’s no excuse. It’s easy, and it’s FREE!
5 Tips for Safe and Easy Battery Recycling
- Safety first! Be sure to safely prep your batteries. There are two options: bag or tape.
- Option A: Bag each battery in its own clear plastic bag before placing it in a storage container.
- Option B: Or, tape the terminals with clear packing, non-conductive electrical or duct tape, keeping label visible.
- Stay cool. Store the batteries in a cool, dry place. Incidents can occur when batteries are exposed to inclement or excessively hot weather. Store them in a plastic container; avoid metal.
- Possible damage? If you see a swollen or bulging battery, immediately put it in a non-flammable material, such as sand or kitty litter in a cool, dry place. DO NOT THROW AWAY. Contact Call2Recycle, the manufacturer or retailer immediately for instructions, especially if the label says it is Lithium or Lithium-Ion.
- Timing is everything. Aim to drop off batteries to recycle within six months, ensuring they are bagged or taped. You can use the Call2Recycle locator to find the nearest drop-off site.
- Spread the word. As we all use batteries to power our world, share the knowledge about battery recycling. It’s the right thing to do and helps keep batteries out of landfills!
Win a $100 Gift Card to Best Buy
One of my readers will win a $100 gift card to Best Buy, a Call2Recycle partner retailer, to pick up something nice as a reward for being nice to the environment! Enter in the giveaway widget below. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada, 18+. All the winner’s entries will be verified.
Click here to check out my other open giveaways and be sure to follow me on Facebook!
This is a sponsored conversation. Nevertheless, all opinions expressed are completely honest and my own. Your experience may differ.
We set aside a cardboard box in the kitchen – a convenient place everyone passes through most often – so that they can deposit used batteries. It’s close to a door so on the way out to visit a drop off or a depot, we can easily pick the box up. It’s also visible so we can see and remember, and not kept hidden where it can be forgotten if we don’t see it.
We save our batteries up for a year and then bring them to our local mall. We sure make a racket when we dump them into the box. Sounds like an explosion. A happy explosion.
I have a bag designated for dead batteries in my home office. When it’s full I drop it off at the Recycling Depot along with my bottles, etc
We drop off our batteries at our local Recycle Center.
We put our old batteries in a ziplock bag and drop them off at Home Depot.
We accumulate our old batteries in a container and when full we drop off at London Drugs.
We collect all the dead batteries in a container and then we take them to our local recycling center which is at the firehall in our town.
We take out batteries to the hardware store for recycling. The store is near us so it’s not a problem to remember to do this.
My family ensures we properly recycles batteries be bringing them to our local disposal site!
I take my used batteries to our local library, which has a small drop off. They’ll also take small items like my dead mice.
We keep a large ziplock bag in a drawer in the kitchen to store used batteries. When it’s full, I take it to the recycling depot or Staples for recycling.
I have a bag titled “OLD BATTERIES” and every once and a while I bring it in to my workplace to recycle them!
I take our batteries to Staples to recycle.
We always gather our batteries together in a bag on the side of our fridge and when I have a full bag, I take it down and go to our Staples here and dump them in the battery recycle bin at the front of the store. Been doing it this way for a couple years now.
Mishelle
I bring them the Staples, very convenient location for us too!
We have a little box in the kitchen that we put the old used batteries in and when we remember we take them in to recycle them
We keep them in a container in the garage until its full and then we take to recycle.
I recycle batteries through our apartment’s recycling program. There is a container in our complex basement that we can put our used batteries in to be recycled.
We keep them in the battery disposal bag, and drop them off at the local Lowe’s store.
Our family hasn’t been recycling batteries and this is something we need to start doing! there are many drop off locations near us too.
Our local Return It takes them so it’s very handy for us to just take them when we take cans and bottles.
We keep the old batteries in a storage container and I would recycle periodically at work.
We actually have been given a bag by the city and we collect the batteries and will dispose of it on the indicated address on the bag!
When our batteries are dead we put them into empty tobacco containers and when we have a few full we return them to our local valley waste management depot.
I usually just use rechargable batteries in the house. However when we do get rid of our batteries we take them to a recycling centre
I keep a plastic bucket in the mud room so everyone can put their batteries in there.
We save them for our quartly pick up in our town!
Our closet location has bags for batteries, which I put in the kids room, kitchen and basement. I keep a roller of tape in each. I tend to check batteries with a tester and place them in the bags and recycle twice a year. Yes spring forward/fall back. We just took our back on the weekend.
My husband actually collects our batteries and when we have a decent amount, he drops them off at the Best Buy closest to us
I’m ashamed to say I don’t. My husband looks after all of that sort of thing.
I put mine in a bag, and then take them to London Drugs.
To be honest, I’ve never thought to recycle batteries. We are good at recycling everything else but I didn’t know you could recycle batteries. I’m going to look into how to recycle them in my community.
by leaving a container in the kitchen
I have a container that stays outside that we put used batteries in them. When there is a bunch we take them to be recycled. We keep them outside as they can cause fires so it’s not good to keep them inside the house.
We tend to hoard them until our city does its hazardous materials drop-off once a year.
We keep a battery recycle box on the window sill where people see if everyday!
We have a box that we put our old batteries into and when the box is full its taken to the recycle depot.
We collect old batteries in a container separate from other recycling to take to the drop-off near our home.
I ensure we put aside the batteries in a glass container and label when we last recycled so we know when its time to go again.
I have a bag for used batteries to take to the recycling place. I make sure my family knows to put their used batteries there.
We make sure to recycle them properly and not just throw them out.
We store it in a container until we have gathered enough for a trip to recycle depot
We bring our batteries to our local drop-off company.
Our city waste collection has days when you can give them items that need special handling. We give our batteries on these days, along with other special items like medication or fluorescent light bulbs.
Our city waste collection has special days where we can give them out batteries, along with other special items liek medication and fluorescent light bulbs.
I have a container in our laundry room where I put all of the used batteries — and then I take them in when we have accumulated some!!
We have a small box in the garage and dead batteries go in it immediately and when we have enough to warrant a trip, we take it and other items to the Eco Centre.
We keep a jar and then I take the batteries to London Drugs.
We have a bag we collect our old batteries in and once a month our library has a safe battery disposal drop off 🙂
There’s a used battery drop off in the community centre near my house. We just dropped off a bag full earlier this week.