Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!
Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!
-
Congratulations JAE on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!
How do you dispose batteries
- Thread starter Kathy11
- Start date
OperaHouse
Electrical
I think it is function of the culture. I have a summer home in a community that is highly educated and affluent. I think of Westchester just out of NYC as being affluent, but this town exceeds their average income. About every fourth home has solar. The town dump, excuse me transfer station, recycles everything. There are more buildings to the right not pictured for recycling. They have a one acre paved area just for yard waste recycling. People will fill that entire yard waste area in two days. There is an onsite shredder to turn it into mulch and topsoil. Mulch is free to residents. This place is very popular with residents. It is just accepted that recycling is a way of life. Note that the prior dump area is covered with 3,000 solar panels.
The rest of the year I live in a county of over a million people. They gave up on yard waste recycling. Other recycling is marginal. The local dump has no place to drop off recyclables. You can drop off yard waste. They have a single garbage truck to put grass, leaves etc in. I asked the driver once, how many times do you have to empty this. He said that it won't get filled up in a day. And they are open only two days a week. What a difference in culture.
The rest of the year I live in a county of over a million people. They gave up on yard waste recycling. Other recycling is marginal. The local dump has no place to drop off recyclables. You can drop off yard waste. They have a single garbage truck to put grass, leaves etc in. I asked the driver once, how many times do you have to empty this. He said that it won't get filled up in a day. And they are open only two days a week. What a difference in culture.
moltenmetal
Chemical
Well, there are batteries, and there are batteries...
Lead-acid batteries are an obvious and very serious no-no for landfilling, as are the now somewhat old-fashioned nickel-cadmium rechargeables and silver oxide/zinc/mercury button cells used in hearing aids etc.
Lithium ion rechargables and even lithium primary batteries (non-rechargeable) are, in my opinion, very bad news to landfill, in the former case due to the cobalt and organic solvent content, and in the latter case due to the thionyl chloride used in the electrolyte.
But run of the mill Zn-Mn alkaline or zinc-carbon "heavy duty" batteries- the lion's share of the consumable/throwaway batteries in the marketplace, aren't really a huge problem in a landfill now that there is no mercury in their formulation. But if they can be collected, recycling them is a good idea from an environmental perspective relative to landfilling them.
Ni-metal hydride batteries are important to recycle because of their "rare earth" (lanthanide) content as well as the nickel. "Rare earths" aren't all that rare, but they're a total bear to separate from one another. The separation process takes a huge amount of energy and results in a lot of emissions, so recycling of these materials is quite an environmental benefit.
Lead-acid batteries are an obvious and very serious no-no for landfilling, as are the now somewhat old-fashioned nickel-cadmium rechargeables and silver oxide/zinc/mercury button cells used in hearing aids etc.
Lithium ion rechargables and even lithium primary batteries (non-rechargeable) are, in my opinion, very bad news to landfill, in the former case due to the cobalt and organic solvent content, and in the latter case due to the thionyl chloride used in the electrolyte.
But run of the mill Zn-Mn alkaline or zinc-carbon "heavy duty" batteries- the lion's share of the consumable/throwaway batteries in the marketplace, aren't really a huge problem in a landfill now that there is no mercury in their formulation. But if they can be collected, recycling them is a good idea from an environmental perspective relative to landfilling them.
Ni-metal hydride batteries are important to recycle because of their "rare earth" (lanthanide) content as well as the nickel. "Rare earths" aren't all that rare, but they're a total bear to separate from one another. The separation process takes a huge amount of energy and results in a lot of emissions, so recycling of these materials is quite an environmental benefit.
Now I have no idea what Excide does with old batteries.
Federal law in the United States holds the manufacturers responsible for providing facilities for the recycling of their batteries at end of life. That is batteries containing hazardous materials such as lead/acid batteries.
In particular substation and large DC power plant batteries, some of which have integral steel case housings or large jar lead/acid batteries go back to the original manufacturer due to special handling processing needed, beyond your average automotive battery recycler.
Federal law (via DOT regs) also regulates and holds originating shippers (identified on the Bill of Lading) responsible and subject to fines for the proper packaging and method of transport for batteries containing hazardous materials.
It is not uncommon for customers having these type batteries removed to require the company doing the removal to provide the paper audit trail of the transport and site where the batteries were recycled.
East Penn one of the majors that are located in the US uses a completely sealed process to grind up, separate the component materials e.g. plastics, lead, acid and purify for re-use.
If I remember correctly Exide's recycling plant (for lead/acid batteries containing trace amounts of cadmium) is in Canada. Large scale stationary lead acid batteries used cadmium in the terminal components for some years.
Federal law in the United States holds the manufacturers responsible for providing facilities for the recycling of their batteries at end of life. That is batteries containing hazardous materials such as lead/acid batteries.
In particular substation and large DC power plant batteries, some of which have integral steel case housings or large jar lead/acid batteries go back to the original manufacturer due to special handling processing needed, beyond your average automotive battery recycler.
Federal law (via DOT regs) also regulates and holds originating shippers (identified on the Bill of Lading) responsible and subject to fines for the proper packaging and method of transport for batteries containing hazardous materials.
It is not uncommon for customers having these type batteries removed to require the company doing the removal to provide the paper audit trail of the transport and site where the batteries were recycled.
East Penn one of the majors that are located in the US uses a completely sealed process to grind up, separate the component materials e.g. plastics, lead, acid and purify for re-use.
If I remember correctly Exide's recycling plant (for lead/acid batteries containing trace amounts of cadmium) is in Canada. Large scale stationary lead acid batteries used cadmium in the terminal components for some years.
The US, and presumably Canada, have recycling programs that take in batteries and other electronic waste from consumers during recycling "events."
TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! faq731-376 forum1529
TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! faq731-376 forum1529
Hi Kathy,
I think that your local province/state/country authorities must have rules in place for the safe disposal of batteries.
This weekend, I had to replace a battery in one of my vehicles. I bought the replacement at Costco (where else), and they take they took the old battery back for recycling (with no additional fee).
I live in the province of British Columbia, land of the $30/ton carbon tax, and I believe that battery recycling is a provincial responsibility. I have noticed that most stores in BC also have collection bins for all types of batteries.
I would recommend that you first investigate the requirements in your local jurisdiction to find out what is legally required wrt battery recycling, and take it from there. Good luck
GG
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)
I think that your local province/state/country authorities must have rules in place for the safe disposal of batteries.
This weekend, I had to replace a battery in one of my vehicles. I bought the replacement at Costco (where else), and they take they took the old battery back for recycling (with no additional fee).
I live in the province of British Columbia, land of the $30/ton carbon tax, and I believe that battery recycling is a provincial responsibility. I have noticed that most stores in BC also have collection bins for all types of batteries.
I would recommend that you first investigate the requirements in your local jurisdiction to find out what is legally required wrt battery recycling, and take it from there. Good luck
GG
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)
"I bought the replacement at Costco (where else), and they take they took the old battery back for recycling (with no additional fee). "
Actually, in the US, Costco charges what's called a "core fee," which goes for recycling the battery you returned.
TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! faq731-376 forum1529
Actually, in the US, Costco charges what's called a "core fee," which goes for recycling the battery you returned.
TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! faq731-376 forum1529
Compositepro
Chemical
The lead in batteries is a valuable resource. The fee is not a charge for recycling the battery. It is a charge for not returning the valuable lead to the manufacturer so a new battery can be made. You can sell old batteries just like old steel.
Howdy IRstuff,
Costco BC also has the '$10 core-fee'. The $10 fee is reimbursed back to you when you bring in your old battery to Costco. Sorry, I should have said that the net fee is $0, at least at Costco BC. Sorry for the confusion.
GG
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)
Costco BC also has the '$10 core-fee'. The $10 fee is reimbursed back to you when you bring in your old battery to Costco. Sorry, I should have said that the net fee is $0, at least at Costco BC. Sorry for the confusion.
GG
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)
I just replaced two 8D truck batteries that weigh about 150 pounds each. I was told the shysters at Interstate battery only cough-up 5 measly bucks for one when they actually have $45 worth of Lead in them. Seems no one takes them back to Interstate they all take them to the metal recyclers.
Keith Cress
kcress -
Keith Cress
kcress -
Well that article is discussing small consumer batteries like Alkalines, NiCad etc, not Lead Acid big batteries. So here in the US, retailers who sell batteries are now required to provide a means of disposing of them. At first, everyone took them back, but now what has transpired is that larger retailers, such as Home Depot mentioned above, offer the disposal, and other smaller retailers, such as grocery stores and drug stores, pay a local fee when they buy the batteries from their sources, and that fee goes to the designated stores providing disposal. So for example I used to take my batteries back to my local CVS (drug) store out of convenience, but they recently stopped accepting them, telling me that I can take them to Home Depot down the road. I complained about how I though that was "unfair" for them to sell battries but not have to follow the law, that's when I found out about this "fee" they pay, which H-D gets, for doing it. It's kind of like the carbon offset credits thing.
"You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals" -- Booker T. Washington
"You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals" -- Booker T. Washington
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
- Question
- Locked
- Question
- Locked
- Question
- Locked
- Question