Over forty garages in southern Ontario collecting used batteries, motor oil & tires

CAA RecycleDrive returns for fifth year

THORNHILL, ON, Oct. 15, 2015 /CNW/ - For the fifth year in a row, CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) and Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) will collect your old car, household, and marine batteries, used motor oil and scrap tires for free and make sure they are recycled properly and safely.

It's all part of our annual RecycleDrive, an eco-friendly initiative which runs from October 14-30 at 41 participating facilities in Burlington, Caledon, Chatham, Durham, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, Peel, Peterborough, Toronto, Waterloo, Windsor, Woodstock and York.

"Every year, CAA's RecycleDrive campaign strives to keep batteries, oil and tires out of landfills. Together with OTS, we have expanded the initiative to include more drop-off locations in an effort to make it easier for the community to recycle these materials in an environmentally friendly way," said Nicole Savage, Community Relations Specialist, CAA SCO.

"Every year, Ontarians are choosing greener ways of living, and recycling these materials is a crucial aspect to preserving our environment," said Andrew Horsman, Executive Director, Ontario Tire Stewardship. "Through local initiatives like RecycleDrive, we are engaging people in some friendly community competition and we've already seen the results through the transformation of school yards from Kingston to St. Thomas. Not to mention a lot of tires being properly recycled."

To encourage the public to participate, CAA SCO and OTS are also including a community incentive. The participating facility that collects the most tires can choose a school in their neighbourhood to receive a Community Revitalization package worth $20,000. The package includes a combination of landscaping greenery and eco-friendly products made from recycled tires to beautify their building or playground.

In 2014, the following items were collected during the campaign:

1,355 tires
1,797 litres of oil
6,314 household batteries 
69 automotive and marine batteries

Meanwhile, for each item dropped off, a tree will be planted in the province.   

As a leader and advocate for road safety and mobility, CAA South Central Ontario is a not-for-profit auto club which represents the interests of 2 million members. For over a century, CAA has collaborated with communities, police services and governments to help keep drivers and their families safe while travelling on our roads.

Follow @CAASCO_News on Twitter for regular updates on wait times, other news and information.

#RecycleDrive

SOURCE CAA South Central Ontario

Image with caption: "Old tires collected during annual CAA RecycleDrive campaign (CNW Group/CAA South Central Ontario)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151015_C8861_PHOTO_EN_520493.jpg

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].