KAWARTHA LAKES-Curbside battery collection is back. The city will be collecting your used batteries curbside from March 18 to 21 on your regularly scheduled collection day.
To dispose of your used batteries properly, please place them inside a clear, re-sealable bag and leave it on top of your fibre recycling materials at your curb by 7am on the morning of collection.
Since you’re already recycling batteries, now is the perfect time to change the batteries in all of your home’s smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The first line of defence in protecting your home from fire is having working smoke detectors in the home, so be sure to make the swap and recycle the old batteries curbside afterwards.
Why is recycling batteries so important?
- Batteries are considered hazardous waste. When they end up in our landfills and begin to rot, they emit chemicals that may leak into the ground. This harms the environment, including nearby animals, through the soil and water pollution it creates.
- Materials found in batteries can be recycled into many different things. For example, most batteries are 25% steel, which is 100% recyclable.
- Recycling batteries is free and helps keep unwanted items from entering our landfill sites. Each and every single item being diverted from our landfills helps further extend the life of our sites.
How do I properly recycle batteries?
- Acceptable batteries include: A, AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, button batteries, and lantern batteries.
- Unacceptable batteries include: rechargeable batteries (for example laptop and cellphone batteries), automotive batteries and industrial batteries. These types of batteries can be brought to the Household Hazardous Waste depots for disposal at the Lindsay Ops and Fenelon landfills. Please note that the Fenelon landfill is closed until summer landfill hours begin on May 1.
- Put used or unwanted, single-use dry cell batteries inside a clear re-sealable bag (Ziploc or similar). Please cover 9V battery terminals with masking tape and cover both sides of button batteries with tape.
- Place the sealed bag on top or beside your paper recycling box on your regular collection day during the week of March 18 to March 21, 2024.
- Do not place any loose batteries in your recycling box.
Each year, the municipality conducts two designated collection weeks for curbside battery pick up, however you can recycle batteries anytime at many different locations across the municipality. Use this helpful online tool to search for nearby drop off locations by using your postal code.
