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What Kinds of Batteries Must Be Recycled?


The Mercury-Containing Rechargeable Battery Management Act enacted on May 13, 1996, requires that manufacturers and consumers recycle all rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries are commonly found in cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, camcorders, digital cameras and remote control toys.

The Battery Act as it is also known was also designed to aid in phasing out the use of mercury in batteries and to provide for cost effective collection and proper disposal of used, rechargeable batteries.

More than 350 million rechargeable batteries are purchased each year in the United State alone. Heavy metals that make their ways to landfills have the potential to leak slowly into the soil, then to the ground water supply. Heavy metals that end up in incineration enter the air we breathe through smoke stack emissions and can concentrate in the ash that is produced. When that ash is disposed the metals enter the environment. Since 73% of the municipal waste is sent to landfills or incineration the US government enacted the Battery Act.

According to the EPA, if these materials are not disposed of properly they can make their way into the food chain. When this happens the possible effects are headaches, abdominal pain, seizures and comas. Cadmium is a known as a carcinogen. Through the recycling program enacted in 1996 the heavy metals are pulled from the batteries and the remaining materials are disposed of.

There are three types of labeling for batteries that must be recycled: regulated batteries, rechargeable batteries, rechargeable consumer products. All the batteries that are covered under the “Battery Act” must be easily removed from the rechargeable product.

Regulated batteries are rechargeable batteries that contain NiCD and SSLA and are found in many consumer products like cell phones and laptops.

Rechargeable batteries are the ones that are voltaic, meaning “producing electricity by chemical reaction” and designed for repeated usage. Often these types of batteries are referred to as a battery pack. There are however four types of batteries that are exempt from this definition: lead acid batteries that are used to start cars, lead acid batteries used in alternative energy sources such a solar energy, back up power sources for memory storage programs for timekeeping or any other battery that requires an uninterrupted power source to function properly if primary energy source fails and rechargeable alkaline batteries.

Rechargeable consumer products contain a regulated battery in them when sold to the consumer. These products include an external power source in case the device’s primary source of power fails, not an internal back up source.

The Battery Act also phases out the use of all batteries that contain mercury because it has been found that this material is extremely harmful to human health and the environment. It is now illegal to manufacture or purchase batteries containing Alkaline-manganese, Zinc-carbon batteries that contain intentionally produced mercury and button cell mercury-oxide.

The EPA has the power to assess a civil penalty requiring the violator to pay up to $10,000 per each violation of the Battery Act as well as an additional $10,000 for failure to correct the violation in a timely manner.
Before you send your rechargeable battery to the recycling facility, place each rechargeable battery into an individual plastic. Place each cell phone and its battery into an individual plastic bag. Place plastic non conductive electrical tape over the terminals. This will prevent contact between terminals or other metals surfaces during storage and transport. Then seal the bag. This will help reduce the possibility of a residual charge being conducted.



The following states have a rechargeable battery disposal ban and mandatory collections: Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Many states like New York maintain that “No person shall knowingly dispose of used Nicd as solid waste.”

Massachusetts has created 100 rechargeable battery collection points.

Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota and New Jersey have SSLA collection programs. For more information on this program in any of these states, please call 770-612-8826.

The following states have programs for lead batteries collection: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Programs that work with the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation send all Ni-Cd batteries to Ellwood City, PA. There the nickel and iron are separated from Cadmium. Those materials are then used in stainless steel products. The recoverable cadmium is used to produce new Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries.

To find a recycling center near you follow this link
http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/dropoff/index.php or call 1-800-8 BATTERY and 1-877-2RECYCLE.