NWRF recognizes first donors to new national battery safety campaign

USA Waste & Recycling and All American Waste were recognized by the National Waste & Recycling Foundation (NWRF) as the first services companies to donate in support of its new battery safety campaign.

Arlington, Virginia-based NWRF is launching a new nationwide public service announcement focused on safe battery recovery and disposal. “Skip the Bin! Turn Your Batteries In!” will launch nationwide during the Consumer Electronics Show the first week of January in Las Vegas. The campaign will feature iconic U.S. Forest Service character Woodsy Owl to educate consumers about how and where to properly return household batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries, to prevent fires and protect workers, equipment and communities.

NWRF is inviting additional companies and partners across the waste, recycling and product manufacturing sectors to support the campaign and help expand its reach into more communities by visiting its website.

“Lithium-ion batteries are ending up in trash and recycling carts every day, and the consequences can be devastating for our workers, our facilities and our communities,” NWRA President Michael E. Hoffman says. “By stepping up early to support our Skip the Bin! Turn Your Batteries In! campaign, USA Waste & Recycling and All American Waste are demonstrating real leadership. Their investment helps us take Woodsy Owl’s message to consumers nationwide so we can keep batteries out of the bin and get them to the right recovery locations.”

The campaign will use TV, radio, digital and social media content along with point-of-collection educational materials to help consumers understand where to take batteries, why they should never go in household trash or recycling containers and how simple behavior changes can prevent fires in trucks, transfer stations, material recovery facilities (MRFs), waste-to-energy facilities and landfills.

“Battery fires are one of the fastest-growing safety challenges facing our industry, and we see the impacts firsthand,” says Frank M. Antonacci, chief operating officer of USA Waste & Recycling and All American Waste. “We believe it’s not enough to just respond to fires, we must stop them before they start. Supporting this education campaign is an investment in the safety of our employees, our customers, and the communities we serve. We’re proud to partner with the National Waste & Recycling Foundation and Woodsy Owl to help people remember: Skip the bin! Turn your batteries in!”