Battery Recycling

Battery Recycling image

Batteries are an integral part of our everyday lives and the number of battery operated products is steadily increasing. The average Canadian owns 25 battery-operated products, often without realizing it. In BC more than 60 million batteries end up in landfills and incinerators every year. New Provincial regulation requires recycling of batteries starting June 2010. Click here to find out where your nearest battery drop off location is located.

Battery Backgrounder

There are two types of batteries: wet and dry cells . Wet cells are large batteries generally used in automotive and industrial applications. Most provinces, including BC, ban wet cell batteries from landfills.

In BC, car batteries can be returned to major retailers, such as Canadian Tire, as part of a provincial recycling program that collects close to 100 per cent of batteries. You can also drop-off car batteries at the City of Vancouver transfer station and most automotive repair shops for free.

Dry cells are usually small batteries that power flashlights, radios and other cordless appliances. There are two types of dry cells: rechargeable and single use.

Rechargeable Batteries
Approximately 10 per cent of all batteries sold are rechargeable. These batteries contain toxic metals such as cadmium, lithium and nickel. According to a study made by UNIROSS, a European leader in rechargeable batteries, (and endorsed by WWF), rechargeable batteries are a more environmentally sound choice than single use batteries. UNIROSS claims that rechargeable batteries, thanks to their ability to be reused multiple times, consume less energy and natural resources, use less transportation and packaging and cause less air acidification (due to incineration) than single-use batteries.

Non-Rechargeable Batteries
Today, most batteries sold are non-rechargeable dry cells that utilize alkaline technology. In the past they contained mercury, a highly toxic material. Canadian producers voluntarily stopped using mercury in the early 1990’s following bans in the US, Japan and Europe, however mercury is still used in small amounts in button cell batteries.

New Battery Recycling Legislation

Call2Recycle was approved in Jan 2010 as the first government-mandated consumer battery collection and recycling program in North America, selected for implementation throughout the province by the British Columbia Ministry of the Environment. Call2Recycle was chosen based on its rechargeable battery collection program. Starting July 1, 2010, Call2Recycle's existing infrastructure of 1,200 retailers, municipalities, businesses and public agencies will start accepting all household batteries free of charge. Find your nearest Call2Recycle battery drop off location.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do my batteries end up once Call2Recycle has collected them?
According to Call2Reycle, batteries collected through their battery recycling program are sent with Purolator to a sorting facility in Newalta in Fort Erie, Ontario. The batteries are then sorted and sent to one of the following recycling companies depending on their chemistry:

Real Solutions

Remember, there are no environmental friendly batteries! SPEC recommends that you:
  • use as little as possible
  • don’t throw batteries into normal waste
  • consider investing in a rechargeable batteries since these can be used over and over again.

    • Battery Storage Tip: Store all batteries (new and spent) in a cool, dark place to extend their life span and avoid leaching. If you are collecting batteries for recycling, collect them in a plastic or glass container.

    What do you do with your old batteries?



    This animation created for SPEC, by Roy Was Here Creative Studio will help answer your questions to where batteries live, and why is it important to recycle them.

    Battery Recycling Related Projects