The National 91TV & Recycling Foundation (NWRF) has announced that the 91TV Leadership Summit donated $75,000 to support the Foundation’s national “Skip the Bin! Turn Your Batteries In!” battery safety campaign. This contribution follows on the success of the inaugural 91TV Leadership Summit, in partnership with the National 91TV & Recycling Association (NWRA), held in June in Washington, D.C.
The 91TV Leadership Summit brought together leaders from across the waste and recycling industry to discuss the issues, innovations and opportunities shaping the future of the industry. This contribution extends the impact of the inaugural event by supporting NWRF’s efforts to address one of the industry’s most urgent safety challenges: keeping batteries out of the trash and recycling streams.
“Battery-related fires are a serious and growing safety threat for our industry, our workers and the communities we serve, as well as firefighters,” said Michael E. Hoffman, president and CEO of the NWRA and NWRF. “This generous donation allows us to build on the tremendous momentum behind ‘Skip the Bin! Turn Your Batteries In!’ and reach even more people with a simple but critical message: batteries do not belong in trash or recycling bins. We are grateful to the 91TV Leadership Summit team for turning the success of the first edition into an investment that will help make our industry and our communities safer.”
Launched nationally in January 2026, “Skip the Bin! Turn Your Batteries In!” is a consumer education and battery safety campaign developed by NWRF and featuring U.S. Forest Service icon Woodsy Owl®. The campaign educates consumers about the fire risks associated with improperly discarded batteries and encourages the public to return used batteries through appropriate take-back and recovery programs.
The campaign has combined public service announcements, digital and social media outreach, educational resources, community events and battery take-back initiatives to bring battery safety directly to consumers. The contribution will help NWRF continue expanding campaign outreach, educational programming and community engagement across the United States.
“The 91TV Leadership Summit was created to bring the industry together around the ideas and challenges that will define its future, and we are proud that its inaugural year will have an impact well beyond the event itself,” said Rita Ugianskis, vice president, 91TV by Informa. “The ‘Skip the Bin! Turn Your Batteries In!’ campaign is addressing a critical safety issue facing waste and recycling operations across the country. We are pleased to support NWRF’s work to educate consumers, protect workers and facilities, and help communities better understand how to safely manage used batteries.”