Battery recycling is one of the most important things your business can do for the environment. Lithium-ion batteries can cause fires in recycling plants and garbage and recycling trucks. Alkaline batteries contain metals and chemicals that shouldn’t be released into the environment.

It’s hard to know exactly how many batteries end up in the landfill. CalRecycle estimates that 75% to 92% of lithium ion batteries are not recycled properly. Businesses can help change this by following laws and ensuring all batteries are recycled properly.

The Importance of Battery Recycling

So many things are found within one alkaline battery. There’s the steel and aluminum casing. The cathode contains carbon, electrolyte, and manganese dioxide. Anode gel contains powdered zinc. Add the brass collector and rivet, fabric separator with more electrolyte, nylon seal, and PVC label. 

High exposure to manganese dioxide can impact your health. Headaches, insomnia, memory loss, slowed reflexes, and mood changes are common problems. High levels of zinc can cause anemia. Microplastics are a newer concern, but one area that’s being studied is how microplastics are building up in blood vessels in vital organs like the brain.

That’s just alkaline batteries. There are other types of batteries, like lithium-ion batteries that contain additional chemicals. All harmful to the environment. Plus, lithium-ion batteries cause fires when exposed to water or punctured, as can happen when they’re placed in the trash and a garbage truck compresses the garbage bags that are collected.

Every battery that goes into the landfill ends up leaching those chemicals and metals into the soil. While landfills are lined to prevent these toxins and metals from reaching the groundwater, who knows what will happen to those linings 50, 75, or 100 years from now. Geomembranes are designed to last, but warmer temperatures may cause them to break down faster than hoped.

HDPE liners haven’t been used long enough to really know how long they’ll last. Research finds they could last up to 720 years at temperatures of 86ºF. It drops to 54 years if ground temperatures reach 140ºF with decomposition of other materials. Target temperatures for composting are 135 ºF to 150ºF.

EPA guidelines are for landfills to keep the soil temperature between 131 ºF and 145 ºF. Because of this. It’s hard to know exactly how long a landfill’s HDPE liner would last. That’s why landfills also have clay liners and other safeguards. 

No one can accurately predict what kind of state landfills will be in generations from now. That’s why every business needs to do their part and set up a battery recycling program that keeps batteries out of the landfill.

How to Set Up Your Company’s Battery Recycling Program

Every company uses battery-powered devices every day. Mice and other peripherals often have rechargeable batteries built into them. Some use AAA, AAA, C, or even D single-use batteries. Batteries are also found in desktop and laptop computers, POS devices, medical equipment, portable tools, and even rechargeable light bulbs that help light the way in power outages.

If your company has yet to set up a battery recycling program, those batteries may end up in a box in your storeroom and remain forgotten for years. Some employees might toss them into the trash without another thought. The batteries won’t be used again, so there’s no point hanging onto them.

Instead, arrange a foolproof recycling plan for spent batteries. Your IT department might be one of the best ways to make this happen, especially if they’re already in charge of collecting unused electronics to recycle correctly or sell through a refurbishment program.

Different steps help ensure the recycling of all batteries goes smoothly. No matter who is responsible for collections and processing. Use these steps to make sure a business battery recycling program works effectively.

• Know the types of batteries your company will be recycling: Alkaline, lithium-ion in laptops and smartphones, lead-acid possibly in UPS units, and even car batteries, depending on your business.)
• Research how those batteries are recycled in your area. Pay close attention to services with e-Stewards and R2 certification that specialize in battery recycling and make it easy to send boxes full of batteries to the nearest battery recycling facility.
• Provide training to the team who will be responsible for collecting, storing, and shipping batteries for recycling. Make sure there is a team collecting the batteries each day to prevent shelves or drop boxes from overflowing.
• Set up easy-to-access drop-off spots in your company. Drop-off points near bathrooms, breakrooms, and exit doors are also handy.
• Educate your staff on the problem with throwing batteries into the trash and why recycling is so important.
• Place signs around the building in visible areas that remind people where and how to recycle spent batteries.
• Send out company emails or newsletters that detail how and where to recycle batteries.
• Add a section on recycling practices in the employee handbook, too.

Once employees understand their roles, it’s time to set up a system where the collected batteries are sent to a recycling facility. Are you planning to make an employee drive boxes of batteries to a local recycling facility? If so, do you know what happens downstream? Are those batteries sent to other countries for processing?

If the batteries become a toxic nightmare in an impoverished country, and word gets out that you’re part of the problem, the negative press could damage your reputation. Carefully choose your recycling partner. Specifically, look for a company that processes all batteries and electronic devices in the U.S.

As the battery recycling program takes off, make sure you’re tracking what is recycled. Pay attention to any gaps and add those battery types in all of the materials you provide employees with. If you discover that 6-volt lantern batteries are being used, make sure they’re added to the list of batteries that need to be recycled.

Choose the Best Partner for Your Electronics Recycling

Choosing the best partner for your recycling needs is equally important. If your batteries aren’t processed following safety guidelines or end up in a landfill despite your best intentions, your efforts are wasted.

Finding the best recycling partner for battery recycling is as simple as looking at their certifications. These certifications are given and maintained through surprise (random) audits that investigate best practices and adherence to the standards.

• e-Stewards: Batteries and other electronic waste are processed in the U.S. and not sent to impoverished countries. Recycling facilities investigate any downstream suppliers to ensure they also follow proper protocol. 
• Responsible Recycling (R2v3): Emphasizes testing, repairs, and reuse. All data in an electrical device is destroyed for security, and components do not enter the environment where they can do harm.

Those are the two key certifications, but there are many others. NAID and a variety of ISO certifications are equally important as they also add protections for data security and the workers processing the batteries during recycling.

Recycle Nation can point you in the right direction for finding a battery recycling partner. If you’re looking for mail-in recycling programs, we have a recommendation.

ERI is a great partner for your company’s battery recycling program. We offer battery recycling boxes that you fill and ship to our nearest processing facility. Every location is e-Stewards, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, NAID, and R2v3 certified. That’s just one of many options. Enter your ZIP code into our online tool to find the nearest location for battery recycling.