2021 - 2022 OSBRC Wraps up Today!

May 13, 2022


It's that time of year again, the wrap up to the Ontario Schools Battery Recycling Challenge brought to you by Raw Materials Company.

We want to thank all the teachers, staff, students, and their families for all of their efforts again this year. 141 schools took part in the Challenge this year. All together, we estimate that you recycled more than 350,000 household batteries, diverting reusable materials and harmful chemicals from landfills across Ontario!

We won't know for certain what the Pledge Prize pool will be until all the batteries have been collected over the next month or so. However, it currently stands at $1,523. At the time of writing this article, 6 schools are currently eligible for an equal share.

The Environmental Award is now worth $254. We'll go through all the submissions over the summer to determine a winner. And finally, the OSBRC raised approximately $761 for the SickKids Hospital Foundation. Great work everyone!

Next Steps

  • Between now and June 24, 2022, we'll be contacting all OSBRC schools to arrange a time to pick up all the remaining batteries.
  • The batteries collected from the schools will be sorted by chemistry and weighed at our facility in Port Colborne, Ontario.
  • The actual amounts paid out to schools will be based on the actual weight of all the batteries recycled during the Challenge.
  • The winning schools will be announced by September 12, 2022, and cheques will be delivered to schools at that time.

About the OSBRC

The OSBRC is a recycling challenge for elementary and secondary schools across Ontario. The purpose of the Challenge is to teach students and their families how to safely handle batteries and how to recycle them. Students, teachers, and their families have recycled more than 12 million batteries since the program started in 2014. The Challenge has also awarded $92,704.73 to schools, students, and the SickKids Foundation.

OSBRC schools can download resources, such as lesson plans, that tie into the curriculum. They can also download various posters, activity worksheets and more to keep recycling top of mind throughout the year.

The batteries recycled during the Challenge are recycled at Raw Materials Company in Port Colborne. RMC sorts the batteries by chemistry and then recycles the alkaline batteries using its patented recycling technology. 100% of each alkaline battery is reused and no part of the battery ends up in the landfill.

Did you know?

Used batteries make up less than 1% of all waste found in municipal landfills. That 1% of batteries is responsible for 88% of all the toxic heavy metals found in the landfill.

Find out more about our technology and how together we are turning waste into a valuable resource.