NWRA announces national awareness campaign about battery hazards

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), Arlington, Virginia, has announced a national awareness campaign aimed at raising public understanding around the hazards of improper disposal of end-of-life batteries, the first nationwide campaign of its kind, according to NWRA. 

The campaign will address the risks battery fires pose to human life and property caused when batteries, specifically lithium-ion batteries, are improperly disposed of or placed into improper recycling streams. According to a January 2024 report published by NWRA and Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), more than 5,000 fires occur annually at recycling facilities, largely due to improper battery disposal.   

The campaign will promote its message through a licensing agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service by adopting the agency’s “Woodsy Owl” character as the campaign’s mascot—most famous for the “Give a hoot, don’t pollute” slogan.  

“We’re excited that the Forest Service saw within our mission a value proposition that was consistent with… what Woodsy represents to the public,” NWRA President and CEO Michael E. Hoffman says. “We need to tell our story. We need to raise [awareness about the] risks around batteries, and we need to help the public believe and understand that recycling is real, and Woodsy is going to be part of that effort.” 

NWRA Chief of Communications Genevieve O’Sullivan says the association has tested various messaging for the program to determine what most affects the public, with safety messaging coming out on top. 

“When they realize that they could be harming someone else … that resonated,” O’Sullivan says. 

Some of the safety messaging presented to focus groups included the phrase “One battery is one fire waiting to start,” which O’Sullivan noted as being particularly impactful. Other than safety, she says audiences also responded to the risk of water contamination posed by batteries as well as the risk of penalty for improper disposal. 

“People didn’t like the fact that they could be fined for doing something incorrectly,” she says. “But I would say the safety [aspect was] no. one, hands down.” 

NWRA intends to commission billboards and other forms of outdoor advertising to display its message, with Woodsy Owl represented throughout campaign materials. O’Sullivan says NWRA also plans to expand the program in 2026 to include video and radio advertisements. 

“The Forest Service is excited to partner with the National Waste and Recycling Association in an initiative that promises to benefit our nation’s waste management efforts,” Forest Service Deputy Chief for State, Private and Tribal Forestry John Crockett says. “With Woodsy Owl, our national conservation and antipollution icon, leading the way, we aim to showcase how collaboration with the industry can lead to significant reductions in pollution through effective recycling and waste management practices. We are optimistic about the potential of this partnership and look forward to creating a future with a lasting positive impact in our national forests and communities nationwide.” 

NWRA is working to partner with organizations in the waste and recycling sector and other industries as the campaign is built out.

The campaign was announced during the NWRA Awards Gala held in conjunction with WasteExpo 2025, May 5-8 in Las Vegas, with the official launch planned for August.