Imagine this: you’ve just completed a significant overhaul of your business processes to meet your EPR goals. You’ve switched to recycled paper, energy-efficient lightbulbs, you are composting your food waste and recycling plastics and paper waste in your business. But one piece of the puzzle is still missing: recycling your batteries.
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Sure, you could bundle them all up and haul them down to the local recycling centre, but what if there was an easier way? With Superfy, you can automate your battery recycling effort using our innovative technology. To better understand why this is important and how we can help, we’ll look at what happens to recycled batteries and answer some frequently asked questions.
Why go through the trouble of recycling batteries in the first place?
Recycling batteries is imperative because they contain toxic materials such as lead and cadmium that can harm the environment and wildlife – if not disposed of properly. By recycling batteries, we can reduce the amount of such toxic materials in landfills and prevent soil and groundwater contamination.
Additionally, recycling batteries conserves natural resources, as manufacturers can use the materials from recycled batteries in new batteries.
So, the next time you have old batteries, make sure to recycle them properly. Not only will you be doing your part to protect the environment, but you’ll also be helping to conserve natural resources and keep toxic materials out of landfills.
We have seen this first-hand, having helped Ecobatt reduce operational costs for recycling 1,000 tonnes of batteries (covered in more detail below)!
When batteries reach a recycling facility, they undergo a series of steps to extract the valuable materials and safely dispose of the hazardous waste.
So, if you’ve pondered the question, “how are batteries recycled?” here are the steps for your information:
This applies to all types of battery recycling. So, if you’ve even thought of the question, “what happens to batteries when they are recycled?” this should have answered your question for you.
Each option has its advantages and disadvantages, and your best choice will depend on your specific needs and circumstances. Nonetheless, participating in any of these battery recycling programs can help conserve resources, reduce waste, and protect the environment.
In this case study, we see how Superfy helped Ecobatt, a subsidiary of Ecocycle, to achieve its sustainability and business goals through technology.
Using Superfy’s smart tools and innovations, Ecobatt has been able to monitor its 4,000+ nationwide battery collection cabinets, making over 14,000 collections (equivalent to 1,000 tonnes of batteries) for recycling and saving over 156,000 kg of CO2 emissions.
The technology provides driver routing, cabinet monitoring, and visual data tracking to maximise the company’s efforts towards sustainability.
Ecobatt is an accredited collector and recycler for B-cycle, Australia’s innovative battery stewardship scheme, and is a major collector for this scheme.
Recycling batteries isn’t just about ensuring that hazardous materials are disposed of responsibly. Even when recycled properly, there are still broader environmental considerations. The fact that the disposal of batteries can release harmful gases into the atmosphere, contributing to air pollution and negative impacts on health and the environment, is one such consideration.
Another pain point is that batteries can release toxic substances into water sources, harming aquatic life and intoxicating the water supply. So, it’s important to take preventive measures to prevent these from happening.
Superfy supports recycling and collection companies in gathering information about their collections and materials. In many cases, this involves using technology to track and monitor operational use and waste recycling levels. Our innovative platform integrates seamlessly into existing workflows between employees, customers, and service providers to enhance operational performance, reduce CO2 emissions, and meet your reporting requirements.
This means not only can you ensure that any used or expired batteries are disposed of safely and responsibly, but you can also optimise the usage of new batteries across operations to reduce your environmental impact as much as possible.
Yes, batteries definitely get recycled.
Recycling batteries is possible because of a process called “hydrometallurgical extraction.” This process extracts metals, such as lithium, cobalt and lead, from the cells of used batteries. The extracted metals are recovered and reused in the production of new batteries.
The process of hydrometallurgical extraction is more efficient than traditional landfill disposal. According to the EPA, recycling 1,000,000 laptops saves enough energy to power 3,500 homes for an entire year! Not only that, but there’s also an opportunity to recover 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium from every million cell phones recycled.
However, recycling your used single-use batteries isn’t as straightforward as you may think. You can’t just throw them into the general or recycling bins — you need to put them in a designated battery recycling container in your area.
Superfy offers solutions that help streamline battery collection and recycling for a sustainable future. We work with governance bodies, recycling and processing organisations to ensure that everything is taken care of with respect to the tracking and monitoring of waste data from collection and processing to the disposing of hazardous materials safely and securely — all you have to do is get in touch with us today and request a demo.
The percentage of recycled batteries varies by country and type of battery. However, globally, the recycling rate of batteries is still relatively low.
According to a report by CleanTechnica, the global recycling rate for lead-acid batteries, commonly used in vehicles, is estimated to be around 99%. This is a relatively high figure compared to other types of batteries.
For other types of batteries, such as nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride, the recycling rate is lower, estimated to be around 50–60%.
The recycling rate for lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in electronics, is even lower, estimated at around 5%.
There’s significant room for improvement in battery recycling rates. In fact, organisations are working to increase public awareness about the importance of battery recycling and to make it easier for individuals to recycle their batteries.
By recycling batteries, we can conserve resources, reduce waste, and prevent the release of toxic materials into the environment. By increasing the recycling rate, we can, in turn, positively impact the environment and help create a more sustainable future.
Yes, you can fully recycle lithium batteries.
In recycling, valuable materials, such as cobalt, nickel, and lithium, can be recovered and used to produce new batteries or other products. That begs the question: how are lithium batteries recycled?
The recycling process for lithium batteries starts with collecting and sorting the used batteries. The batteries are then disassembled to remove the individual cells, which are subsequently processed to extract the valuable metals. The next stage involves purifying the metals and using them to produce new batteries or other products.
While lithium battery recycling is technically possible, the recycling rate for these batteries is still relatively low, at a meagre 5%. This is partly due to the lack of recycling infrastructure and the high cost of the recycling process. However, as demand for lithium-ion batteries continues to grow, the recycling industry is expected to expand, making it easier and more economically viable to recycle these batteries.
Recycling batteries does not cause more pollution than discarding them.
Rather, recycling batteries helps to minimise the release of heavy metals and other hazardous materials into the environment. The process also prevents these hazardous materials from reaching water sources, such as groundwater.
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With that being said, you may wonder, where do recycled batteries go? Or even, what happens to car batteries when they are recycled?
Recycling batteries can reduce the energy needed to produce new ones since recycled substances like lead and cobalt can be reused in manufacturing new batteries. Plus, when done correctly with technological aid provided by Superfy, recycling batteries becomes safer for citizens and the environment.
To find out how Superfy can help you streamline your business operations for a sustainable future, request a demo from our team today. Our innovative resource management solutions could save your company time and money while helping you meet your environmental reporting requirements.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are expected to grow significantly over the next ten years. Several projections indicate that EV sales will continue to increase as more automakers produce electric market models. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the number of EVs on the road globally is expected to reach 145 million by , up from 10 million in .
However, what impact does this have on the battery recycling sector?
As more EVs are sold and enter the market, the number of batteries needing to be recycled will also increase. Currently, most EV batteries are made from lithium-ion technology, which contains valuable metals and materials that can be reused or repurposed. Recycling these batteries is essential for several reasons, including reducing waste, conserving natural resources, and ensuring a sustainable supply of critical materials.
To attain our sustainability goals, we must implement effective recycling programs to manage the increasing number of EV batteries that will need to be recycled.
To achieve these sustainability goals, the government and the private industry must work together to develop effective battery recycling programs. These programs should include measures to collect and sort used batteries, processes to recover valuable materials, and standards for the safe disposal of hazardous waste. Additionally, there’s a need for research and development aimed at finding innovative ways to repurpose and reuse materials from EV batteries.
Yes, rechargeable batteries also need to be recycled once they have worn out their use. This includes your typical AAA and AA batteries found around the house, button cells from watches, rechargeable , power tool and even electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Interestingly, you can recycle EV batteries at renewable energy plants!
Recycling batteries can be a social, environmental, and—in some cases—legal responsibility. There are rules and guidelines on how and what you should do, whether you're recycling old household batteries like alkaline or button-types, lithium-ion electronics batteries, or larger lead-acid car and small-motor (lawnmowers, scooters, etc.) batteries.
Some batteries are more recyclable than others. In the United States (except in California), it is considered okay to just toss used alkalines—like old AAA and AA single-use batteries—in the household trash, but it is recommended that lead-acid, Ni-Cad, and lithium-ion batteries are recycled instead of thrown away.
There are two basic reasons: environmental and economic responsibility.
At this point, recycling single-use alkaline household batteries isn't really economically feasible. It is being done in a couple of major U.S. recycling companies, but for most companies, the recycling costs are typically higher than the material's redeemed value. So it is environmental responsibility that drives their recycling.
Rechargeable batteries, whether lead-acid, Ni-Cad, or lithium-ion, are the most economically feasible to recycle. It's a win-win solution. Hazardous material pollution is reduced, and money and resources are saved.
In , U.S. federal battery legislation addressed the issue of recycling programs for batteries that contained acid, mercury, or other heavy metals that could harm the environment. This legislation spurred the development of non-heavy-metal alkaline batteries. Other than being just one more thing in our landfills, which we should always try to reduce, they do not harm our environment.
As proof of this, when these are recycled, their end components are:
All batteries can be recycled, and doing so always reduces resource costs and use. But some are just more valuable to recycle.
The bottom line is that those old AAA, AA, and button batteries just aren't there yet as an economic benefit to recycle. Most responsible sources (the government and the battery maker companies) say it is okay to dispose of them in your household trash. Hazardous materials used in these types of batteries were outlawed over 25 years ago in the United States.
(However, for the environmentally conscious U.S. consumer, almost every product-specific retailer, like Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, Best Buy, Staples, etc., offers free battery recycling drop-off boxes.)
But, for folks in the United Kingdom (and perhaps other countries as well), throwing batteries into the household trash is not an option. Recycling laws in the U.K. require that all batteries be recycled. This article from Britain's The Independent has the details: Battery-recycling law in force.
The most important batteries to recycle are the ones that still use heavy metals—the rechargeable ones. Like the alkaline battery drop-off points, those same product-specific retailers also offer drop-off points for lithium-ion and Ni-cad batteries.
Lead-acid batteries, such as from cars and lawnmowers, can be recycled at most automotive and battery retailers, in addition to local salvage centers that will actually pay you for your old battery. In the U.S., a typical old car battery will net you $5 to $10 dollars.
All states are covered by federal recycling laws concerning lead-acid batteries, but these federal laws apply to producers. It is state laws that apply to consumers.
Scroll to ContinueEven though over 30 states have consumer-based laws, in almost every state, they apply to lead-acid batteries only.
To find the laws in your state, just use the link below and click on your state for laws that apply to you.
It is most probable that your municipality does not have a battery recycling program. You won't have a specific bin as you do for plastics and papers.
The Energizer Battery website links to some recycling center locators based on zip codes. Just click the locator link, choose your battery type, and enter your zip code. A list of recycling locations for your area will appear.
The basics are that they get crushed, hammered, and broken apart, and then their components—plastics, papers, and metals—are separated by a mechanical or chemical process and sent to different recycling streams.
Separated plastics are granualized and sent to plastic recyclers, and metals are melted, batched, and sent to metal recyclers.
Here is a brief explanation concerning lead-acid batteries:
"The battery is broken apart in a hammer mill, a machine that hammers the battery into pieces. The broken battery pieces are then placed into a vat, where the lead and heavy materials fall to the bottom and the plastic floats.
"At this point, the polypropylene pieces are scooped away and the liquids are drawn off, leaving the lead and heavy metals. Each of the materials goes into a different recycling 'stream'."
Most of the retailer's battery drop-off programs use a service offered by large recycling companies.
These companies will provide (for a fee) boxes, containers, labels, and instructions for collecting used batteries. They even provide return shipping. A drop-off location simply buys a kit and sends it back to the recycling company when it is full.
Typical kit costs are around $60. If you or an organization want to participate, here is a contact link:
This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.
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