Environmental Protection Agency - Battery Waste
Prof. Robert B.
Laughlin
Department of Physics
Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/materials/battery.htm
(Copied 25 Nov 09)
Batteries
When you need a portable, convenient power source, you can rely on batteries. Batteries of all shapes and sizes supply power to everyday electronics like toys and power tools, but batteries also work where we don't see them too. During a power outage, phone lines still operate because they are equipped with lead-acid batteries. Batteries help control power fluctuations, run commuter trains, and provide back-up power for critical needs like hospitals and military operations. The versatility of batteries is reflected in the different sizes and shapes, but all batteries have two common elements that combine to make power: an electrolyte and a heavy metal.
More Battery Information
The Rechargeable Battery Recycling
Corporation (RBRC)
is a nonprofit,
public service organization funded by rechargeable product and battery
manufacturers that educates manufacturers, retailers, and consumers
about the benefits of rechargeable battery recycling.
Just the Facts
- Americans purchase nearly 3 billion dry-cell batteries every
year to power radios, toys, cellular phones, watches, laptop
computers, and portable power tools.
- Inside a battery, heavy metals react with chemical
electrolyte to produce the battery's power.
- Wet-cell batteries, which contain a liquid electrolyte,
commonly power automobiles, boats, or motorcycles.
- Nearly 99 million wet-cell lead-acid car batteries are
manufactured each year.
- Mercury was phased out of certain types of batteries in
conjunction with the "Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable
Battery Management Act," passed in 1996.
- Recycling batteries keeps heavy metals out of landfills and the air. Recycling saves resources because recovered plastic and metals can be used to make new batteries.
Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which can contaminate the environment when batteries are improperly disposed of. When incinerated, certain metals might be released into the air or can concentrate in the ash produced by the combustion process.
One way to reduce the number of batteries in the waste stream is to purchase rechargeable batteries. Nearly one in five dry-cell batteries purchased in the United States is rechargeable. Over its useful life, each rechargeable battery may substitute for hundreds of single-use batteries.
EPA Links and Publications
Universal
Waste Battery Web Site
The universal waste regulations
streamline collection requirements for certain hazardous wastes
including batteries.
Product Stewardship Battery Web Site
Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Act (PDF) (9 pp, 134K, About PDF)
Implementation of the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act (PDF) (21 pp, 736K, About PDF)
Battery Recycling
Lead-Acid Automobile Batteries
Nearly 90 percent
of all lead-acid batteries are recycled. Almost any retailer that sells
lead-acid batteries collects used batteries for recycling, as required
by most state laws. Reclaimers crush batteries into nickel-sized pieces
and separate the plastic components. They send the plastic to a
reprocessor for manufacture into new plastic products and deliver
purified lead to battery manufacturers and other industries. A typical
lead-acid battery contains 60 to 80 percent recycled lead and plastic.
Non-Automotive Lead-Based Batteries
Gel cells and sealed lead-acid batteries are commonly used to power
industrial equipment, emergency lighting, and alarm systems. The same
recycling process applies as with automotive batteries. An automotive
store or a local waste agency may accept the batteries for
recycling.
Dry-Cell Batteries
Dry-cell batteries include
alkaline and carbon zinc (9-volt, D, C, AA, AAA), mercuric-oxide
(button, some cylindrical and rectangular), silver-oxide and zinc-air
(button), and lithium (9-volt, C, AA, coin, button, rechargeable). On
average, each person in the United States discards eight dry-cell
batteries per year.
- Alkaline and Zinc-Carbon Batteries
Alkaline batteries, the everyday household batteries used in flashlights, remote controls, and other appliances. Several reclamation companies now process these batteries. - Button-Cell Batteries
Most small, round "button-cell" type batteries found in items such as watches and hearing aids contain mercury, silver, cadmium, lithium, or other heavy metals as their main component. Button cells are increasingly targeted for recycling because of the value of recoverable materials, their small size, and their easy handling relative to other battery types. - Rechargeable Batteries
The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), a
nonprofit public service organization, targets four kinds of
rechargeable batteries for recycling: nickel-cadmium
(Ni-CD), nickel metal hydride, lithium ion, and small-sealed
lead. Its "Charge Up to Recycle!" program offers various
recycling plans for communities, retailers, businesses, and
public agencies.
State and Federal Regulations
Many states have regulations in place requiring battery recycling. The U.S. Congress passed the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Act (PDF) (9 pp, 134K, About PDF) in 1996 to make it easier for rechargeable battery and product manufacturers to collect and recycle Ni-CD batteries and certain small sealed lead-acid batteries. For these regulated batteries, the act requires the following:
- Batteries must be easily removable from consumer products,
to make it easier to recover them for recycling.
- Battery labels must include the battery chemistry, the
"three chasing arrows" symbol, and a phrase indicating that
the user must recycle or dispose of the battery
properly.
- National uniformity in collection, storage, and transport of
certain batteries.
- Phase out the use of certain mercury-containing batteries.
More Battery Information
The Rechargeable Battery Recycling
Corporation (RBRC)
is a nonprofit, public service organization funded by rechargeable
product and battery manufacturers that educates manufacturers,
retailers, and consumers about the benefits of rechargeable battery
recycling.
