Because sending a battery to a landfill is not an option!
In our homes, many devices used every day contain an integrated battery, often rechargeable, but well hidden. For example, an electric toothbrush, a smoke detector, toys, tools, or lighting devices sometimes contain an embedded battery hidden inside the device. Have you ever noticed that these devices often display a logo like this?
This logo means that these devices should not be thrown in the trash, since they contain a battery. The battery is a component that can be very harmful to the environment. What should we do when the device reaches the end of its useful life and its battery is embedded, hidden, impossible to see or remove?
Réseau CFER and Call2Recycle now offer a solution to make sure that embedded batteries can be recycled!
The Réseau CFER brings together schools+businesses with an environmental mission which aim to develop the employability of young people with difficult educational backgrounds. For its part, Call2Recycle ensures the end of life of batteries marketed in Canada. Together, these two organizations are currently implementing the second phase of a pilot project. The ecocenters of participating municipalities will be able to collect 10 categories of devices targeted by the project:
Already, several major municipalities are partners in this project: Montreal, Quebec, Lévis, Gatineau, as well as the RMR Lac-St-Jean and Portneuf and the MRC Marguerite-d’Youville. This free service can be offered to other municipalities by contacting the Réseau's team.
The CFERs involved in this pilot project will be responsible for dismantling these devices in order to extract the battery and transport it to the authorized Call2Recycle facilities. An excellent solution for the environment and for the training of CFER students, who will develop useful skills:
- Carry out inventories (categorization, counting, weighing)
- Carry out administrative tasks (data entry on digital form)
- Carry out tasks requiring attention to detail/fine dexterity
- Usage of basic power tools
- Handle and classify components
- Work alone (dismantling tasks)
- Perform repetitive and simple tasks
- Respect safety measures (procedures, PPE)
The Réseau québécois des CFER would like to thank Call2Recycle for its collaboration and trust. The Réseau also thanks the team and students of CFER Val-des-Cerfs, in Granby, who were able to develop essential expertise during the first phase of this pilot project. Well done! Thanks to your good work in 2023-24, nested battery devices can now be recycled in more regions across Quebec!
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