Annual RecycleDrive campaign expanding

THORNHILL, ON, Oct. 15, 2013 /CNW/ - For the third year in a row, CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) and Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) will take your dead car, household and marine batteries, used motor oil and old tires, off your hands for free and make sure they are recycled properly and safely.

It's all part of our expanded 2013 RecycleDrive, an eco-friendly initiative which runs from October 15-31 at 29 participating garages.

"Due to the popularity of the campaign over the last two years, we have decided to extend the length of the drive and include more drop-off locations," said Gina Banwait, Community Relations Specialist, CAA SCO. "We encourage all motorists to take advantage of this opportunity to get rid of their dead batteries, old tires and used motor oil in an environmentally friendly way."

Drained batteries, used motor oil and worn out tires don't belong in your blue bin or at the curb with your trash. Batteries and motor oil contain harmful chemicals which can contaminate soil and groundwater if they end up in landfills. While most tires are made of non-biodegradable materials which can be a burden on our environment if not properly recycled.

"Every year, Ontarians are raising the bar for tire recycling and choosing greener ways of living to preserve our environment and communities," said Andrew Horsman, Executive Director, OTS. "Through local initiatives like RecycleDrive, we hope to engage more Ontarians in some friendly community competition and help transform a shared part of their neighbourhoods into more sustainable spaces."

To encourage community members to responsibly manage their waste, CAA SCO and OTS are also featuring a community incentive. The participating garage which collects the most tires can choose a school in their community to receive a Sustainable Revitalization package worth $20,000. For every tire collected, CAA SCO will also donate $1 to the prize pack which includes landscaping greenery and eco-friendly products made of recycled tires to beautify their building or playground.

In 2012, the following items were collected:

127 car and marine batteries
953 pounds of household batteries
1,235 tires
2,563 litres of motor oil

As a thank you for doing your part to help preserve the planet, we will send the first 50 participants at each location home with a free pack of yard waste bags.

 CAA South Central Ontario is a not-for-profit auto club offering roadside services, automotive care, travel and insurance. There are more than 1.9 million CAA members in South Central Ontario and over 5.9 million members in Canada. We're more than Roadside Assistance. We're Life-side Assistance.

Ontario Tire Stewardship is an Industry Funding Organization (IFO) incorporated under Ontario's Waste Diversion Act, to implement and operate the Used Tires Program. Through the Used Tires program, 100 per cent of Ontario tires get efficiently and responsibly recycled into new products, leading to more livable communities and a growing green economy in this province. To date, OTS has helped responsibly recycle more than 50 million tires in Ontario.

Image with caption: "Annual RecycleDrive campaign expanding (CNW Group/CAA South Central Ontario)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20131015_C8959_PHOTO_EN_31945.jpg

SOURCE: CAA South Central Ontario

Media contact: Silvana Aceto, Media and PR Consultant, CAA SCO, [email protected], Office: [phone], Cell: [phone] or Jeff LeMoine, Communications Consultant, CAA SCO, [email protected], Office: [phone], Cell: [phone].