FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2025
Support helps launch “Skip the Bin! Turn Your Batteries In!” public education effort featuring Woodsy Owl
ARLINGTON, VA – The National Waste & Recycling Foundation (NWRF) today announced that USA Waste & Recycling and All American Waste as the first services companies to donate to the Foundation in support of our Battery Safety Campaign. The campaign is a new nationwide public service announcement (PSA) focused on safe battery recovery and disposal.
The campaign, ‘Skip the Bin! Turn Your Batteries In!’, will launch nationwide during the Consumer Electronics Show the first week of January in Las Vegas, and will feature iconic U.S. Forest Service character Woodsy Owl as the spokes-owl, educating consumers about how and where to properly return household batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries, to prevent fires and protect workers, equipment, and communities.
“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,” said Michael E. Hoffman, president of the National Waste & Recycling Foundation. “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 PSA 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, 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,” said 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!”
The Foundation 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, www.batterysafetynow.org.
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ABOUT NWRF
The National Waste & Recycling Foundation (NWRF) is the charitable arm of the National Waste & Recycling Association, a 501(c)(6) organization. Operating independently as a 501(c)(3), the Foundation promotes public education, safety, and research initiatives that benefit the waste and recycling industry and the general public. Current efforts include a national campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of improper lithium-ion battery disposal and a scholarship program supporting future leaders in the industry.
NWRG Contact
Genevieve O’Sullivan
National Waste & Recycling Association
gosullivan@wasterecycling.org
