Provincial libraries in P.E.I. offer safe battery recycling program

Islanders can now drop off their used batteries at any P.E.I. library, so they are safely collected and properly recycled to ensure they do not enter provincial landfills. From left are Environment Minister Natalie Jameson, Ray Macleod, public services librarian and Education Minister Brad Trivers. - Contributed

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Increased access and convenience to battery drop-off locations will help safeguard the environment. Islanders can now drop off their used batteries at any of Prince Edward Island’s 25 provincial libraries.

Through the Call2Recycle program, batteries are safely collected and properly recycled to ensure they do not enter provincial landfills. Batteries contain a number of heavy metals and toxic chemicals that can impact groundwater and soil.

Islanders can gather and drop their used batteries into collection boxes. Those boxes are sent to sorting facilities where batteries are separated according to weight and chemistry. The batteries are then sent to processors where the chemicals and metals in the batteries are extracted.

Materials recycled from batteries can also be reused in other products.

“Protecting our environment can begin with small actions in our everyday lives,” said Environment Minister Natalie Jameson in a news release. “We want to give Islanders convenient options when it comes to recycling their batteries so that we can all work together to create a more sustainable future for all.”

To find more information about battery drop-off locations, click here.