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.
Battery 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 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.
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). 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, do not contain mercury
if they were made after 1992. 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 and 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 Management Act in 1996 to make it easier for battery and product manufacturers to collect and recycle Ni-CD batteries and
certain small sealed lead-acid rechargeable 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 national, uniform labeling requirements, such as the "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 mercury-containing batteries.
More Battery Information
The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) is a nonprofit, public service organization funded by national electronics
and battery manufacturers that educates manufacturers, resellers, and users about the benefits of rechargeable battery recycling.
EPA Links and Publications
EPA's Office of Solid Waste Web site links to a copy of the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Act .
To obtain the following document, call the RCRA Hotline at 800 424-9346; TDD 800 553-7672 (hearing impaired); in the Washington, D.C.,
metropolitan area, 703 412-9810, TDD 703 412-3323:
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