The Do’s and Don’ts of Battery Recycling
By: Lea Rusk
Tags: Recycle, Recycling, Battery

Industries across the nation are recycling more than ever, but there can still be some confusion when it comes to recycling batteries and eWaste. Recycling batteries helps the environment by keeping hazardous material out of landfills and reduces the need to mine elemental metals for industrial production needs. The first battery was created by Alessandro Volta in 1798. Today, batteries have become a routine part of modern life. Interco recycles batteries of all shapes, sizes, and chemistry. Depending on the content — whether it is metallic, plastic, or chemical — recycling at different stages of the production cycle often determines whether recycling is feasible. Battery manufacturers produce several types of batteries in use today. Nine common battery types:

1. Lead-Acid

2. Lithium-Ion (Li-ion)

3. Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH)

4. Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd)

5. Absolyte

6. Alkaline

7. LiFePO4 Lithium Iron Phosphate

8. Lithium Primary & Lithium Button Cells

9. LiMnO2 Lithium Manganese Dioxide

The Do’s of Battery Recycling

Interco recycles lead-acid batteries primarily for their lead content. The machines shred the whole batteries and sort the plastic and lead. Then they separate and clean the different materials to drain and neutralize the acid. The process reintroduces the lead as industrial material for commercial production.

Store batteries in a cool, dry location

High temperatures and moisture can shorten battery life and cause batteries to corrode, leak, or rupture. Store them in a secure container that avoids contact points touching.

Find a recycling center near you

Interco recycles lithium-ion batteries, keeping them out of landfills to extract and re-use cobalt and other precious metals contained within the lithium-ion battery itself. Additionally, Interco is a leading North American non-ferrous metals recycling company located just across the river from St. Louis in Madison, Illinois.

The Don’ts of Battery Recycling

Americans purchase nearly 3 billion dry-cell batteries every year to power radios, toys, cellular phones, watches, laptop computers, and portable power tools. Spent batteries that are sent to a landfill can cause environmental harm. Pollutants can leak out into the environment and contaminate groundwater, damage fragile ecosystems, and make their way into the food chain.

Don’t throw used batteries in the trash

Batteries contain toxic and harmful materials that do not belong in landfills. Before throwing out spent batteries, consider how many of the materials inside batteries can be reused to make new batteries and other products.

Don’t remove any labels from the battery

Don’t remove the battery label, attempt to take the battery apart, or dispose of the label in a fire as this may lead to rupture and/or chemical burns.

Conclusion

Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which can contaminate the environment when batteries are improperly disposed of. Recycling batteries guarantees that the internal materials are handled with care and lessens the need for mining. With a staff of 100 full time employees, Interco receives, processes, upgrades, repackages and ships approximately 15,000 tons of material monthly. To learn more about recycling with Interco, please click here.