Raw Materials Company Inc.

7th Annual OSBRC Starts Today!

October 19, 2020

It’s Waste Reduction Week which marks the first day of the Ontario Schools Battery Recycling Challenge (OSBRC) provided by Raw Materials Company of Port Colborne, Ontario.

The OSBRC teaches students and their families about battery recycling. There are many activities and resources to help students identify the different types of batteries and how to properly tape the terminals of certain batteries. It also provides a convenient option for teachers, students, and their families to recycle single-use batteries when they no longer hold a charge. 

The Challenge runs until Earth Day (April 22nd, 2021).

Changes to facilitate a physically-distanced Challenge

To facilitate a safe and physically-distanced Challenge, we decided to remove all incentives that might otherwise encourage students and/or schools to recycle batteries outside of their own bubbles. 

OSBRC Pledge Prize | 60% of the Prize Pool

We removed the Blue and Red Leaderboards and transferred those prize pool allotments to the OSBRC Pledge prize which will now payout 60% of the total prize pool.

All schools that meet the OSBRC Pledge will walk a way with an equal share of the OSBRC Pledge prize. It's that simple! 

Environmental Award | 10%

The RMC Environmental Award will now payout 10% of the prize pool instead of 2%. If your school has a whole lot of recycling spirit, tell us about it! We want to hear from schools that are working hard to make their community a better place to live. At the end of the Challenge, we’ll review all of the submissions and choose one lucky school to receive the Environmental Award!

SickKids Foundation | 30%

With healthcare on everyone’s mind, we increased the annual donation to the SickKids Foundation, on behalf of all OSBRC participants, to 30% from 10%. 

Student Mission Changes

We also made changes to the Student Missions to encourage students to only recycle batteries from within their family bubble. Mission 3 now asks students to recycle 20 batteries instead of 50 batteries, and Mission 4 simply asks that students recycle the remaining batteries from their household (whatever that may be), instead of 100 batteries.

As always, there are two $50 Visa gift card draws of five winners each. The first draw is in December just before Christmas, and the final draw is on the last day of the Challenge.  

On Family Day, one lucky Battery Boss will win a family stay at Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls! 

Best of luck this year, stay safe!