Recycle your single-use alkaline and rechargeable household batteries this spring from March 10 to 13! Curbside battery collection happens twice a year in Dufferin County, following the daylight savings time change.

Look for your orange battery bag in the mail! Bags will be mailed out at the end of February. If you do not receive a bag in the mail by March 5, contact your local municipal office or Dufferin Waste at 519- 941-2816 ext. 2620 or use any clear sealable bag.

Collect all single use alkaline and rechargeable batteries in your home. Remember to follow the instructions on your battery bag. All 9V battery terminals are to be covered with masking tape.

Fill up your bag and place it on top of your Green Bin or beside your garbage by 7 am on your collection day during the week of March 10.

Please do not place batteries inside your garbage, Green Bin or Blue Box.

What happens after GFL collects your household batteries? They are taken to the transfer station, where they are placed into drums and then sent to the Environmental 360 Solutions (e360s) facility.

Once at the facility, the batteries go through a process of recycling where all components of the batteries are recovered. These components include manganese, potassium and zinc, which are natural elements found in soil that aid in healthy plant growth. The recycling process extracts 100 per cent of these elements, which are used as micro-nutrients to grow corn.

Nickel and steel are also 100 per cent recovered from the battery recycling process. These metals are sold back into the market to produce new metals. The batteries also include non-recyclable paper and plastic, which are sent to an energy from waste facility, where they are converted into electricity, ensuring no part of the batteries end up in landfill. To learn more about the battery recycling process, visit the Environmental 360 Solutions website.

Batteries placed in these waste streams can lead to dangerous hazards, such as fires in collection vehicles and at processing facilities. Many reports show that fires from batteries have risen over the last few years. Learn more about rising cases of fires at recycling facilities here. You can also read more about the dangers of fires caused by batteries here.

Follow Dufferin Waste on Facebook and X. Stay up to date on special collections and events by downloading the Dufferin Waste App on your apple or android device!

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Megan Ball, Manager of Communications
mball@dufferincounty.ca