More and more people are using battery-powered electronics daily than ever before. Battery recycling involves utilizing used batteries to recover valuable materials and using them once more. The dynamic shift seems plausible because we see an ever-increasing demand for it. 

Finding methods to obtain the raw materials efficiently and responsibly to produce the required batteries is necessary. Recycle Technologies is a company working to improve such efforts in the US. Creating a lasting circular economy using battery recycling is essential for sustainable development. 

In this blog, we will discuss the process of battery recycling and how it can contribute to creating a lasting circular economy. 

What is Circular Economy?

According to the World Economic Forum, a circular economy is “an industrial system that is restorative or regenerative by intention and design." In simpler terms, it is a business model that reuses its waste materials, or parts of it, to recreate the product in a cycle. 

A circular economy has the potential to lessen the world's carbon footprint, save precious materials, and generate income and employment opportunities. Some types of batteries need the mining of raw materials like cobalt, lithium, and nickel – a circular economy can help alleviate environmental and ethical concerns associated with this practice.

Moreover, the Ellen McArthur Foundation lists the following three principles to transform the take-make-waste system into a circular economy:

• Eliminate waste and pollution
• Circulate products and materials 
• Regenerate nature

EPA has a similar approach to recycling known as the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act. This act refers to a systems-focused economy that uses restorative or regenerative industrial processes and economic activities. It allows resources to maintain their highest value for as long as possible and eliminates waste through superior design of materials, products, and systems (including business models).

Steps to Achieve Battery Recycling Circulatory 

When we champion the battery recycling circular economy, we acknowledge that many recyclers are actively trying to achieve it. Some of them lie ahead of others when it comes to policy-making and practical implications.

Recycle Technologies considers the following crucial steps to achieve a circular economy for recycling batteries: 

Collection and Sorting

Establishing a system for collecting old and used batteries is the first step to achieving a circulatory economy. It is why we provide door-to-door collection services to get items from households. The collection is not enough; proper sorting methods to separate different types of batteries based on their chemistry and size are also essential. 

Advanced Recycling Facilities

Leading by example, we have set up recycling facilities with advanced technologies to process the collected batteries efficiently. These facilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin comply with environmental regulations to ensure the safety of workers.

Battery Disassembly 

To reuse the materials present in a Tesla Li-ion battery, we must disassemble them carefully to separate their components. You can use both manual and automated processes for this purpose. Battery components such as metal casings, electrodes, and electrolytes are then processed for recycling.

Material Recovery

Recovering valuable materials from the batteries is crucial to achieving a circulatory economy. Physical and chemical treatments help extract metals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and lead, which can be reused to produce new batteries or other products. The only issue is that any material recovery process loses a part of the reusable elements.  

Environmental Considerations

As custodians of certifications such as R2 V3, we take care of our recycling process to ensure ecological well-being. Proper waste management practices help minimize the release of harmful substances and pollutants into the environment.

Collaboration Among Stakeholders

If there is harmony between battery manufacturers, recyclers, and policymakers to create a supportive framework for battery recycling, we can only hope for a better future. Governments can play a crucial role in creating a lasting circular economy by implementing regulations and incentives that promote battery recycling.

Raising awareness among consumers alone can only do so well. Recycle Technologies understands that we must bring all the stakeholders to one page. 

Innovation for Sustainability

We hope governments fund researchers to find ways to recover valuable materials with more significant percentages. Encouraging innovation in battery design means making them more recyclable and environmentally friendly. Innovation in recycling and retrieval systems is the backbone of a circular economy.

Battery Recycling: An Outlook in the Future

The circular economy can advance environmental sustainability, economic growth, and social equity when implemented with care and broad participation. Social justice is essential to sustainability's very core. How we take, consume, and dispose of our resources can disproportionately impact already vulnerable populations.

Following the steps mentioned in the blog can create a lasting circular economy using battery recycling. Battery recycling is a win-win solution for both the environment and the economy. At Recycle Technologies, we are committed to bringing this valuable change.

Want to find out more about our efforts to achieve a circular economy? Visit us at www.recycletechnolgies.com today. 

Almost all batteries that are in use pose a great risk to you when not disposed of properly. Disposing of them is vital. That is why many states make it illegal to throw them in the trash. Recycling spent batteries is the only way to completely dispose of the toxic elements. That is why battery recycling is important.

A certified Recycler like Recycle Technologies can help you achieve that. Our recycling facilities are more than capable of handling large and small loads. For business, they can use our dedicated pickup service. Our team will not safely transport your spent batteries but secure them as well.

Why Choose RTI for Battery Recycling?

For us battery recycling is close to our hearts. That is why it is wise to dispose of nickel-cadmium and lead batteries as soon as possible. Keep in mind that the EU has banned cadmium-based batteries since 2009. Regulators are busy trying to get lead batteries banned as well. But since there hasn't been an alternative to them, this activity feels vague. As for the common pollutant, lithium-ion joins the fray. The chemistry for these batteries is toxic at best, the real problem is the volume that concerns us.

In the USA more than 90 % of lead-based batteries are recycled. The automotive industry is paving the way when it comes to recycling these batteries. But they do not care for the environment but mostly for business reasons. The process to recycle these kinds of batteries is simple as the byproduct is reusable lead. With the help of battery recycling, we generate around 50 % reusable lead.

How has RTI made battery recycling easier?

Recycle Technologies have made it easier for you to recycle your batteries. Our mail-in program enables you to send your small batteries from the comfort of your home. To learn more about how you can do that you can click here. That is not all for businesses seeking a way to dispose of their batteries can use our drop-off and pickup facility. The main goal of battery recycling is to prevent toxic materials from entering landfills. But our ulterior motive is to reclaim the materials which help in fabrication. Of new products and lessen our reliance on virgin resources.

It is not wise to store spent batteries in your home. They must be either disposed of, donated, or recycled if you don't want them to become a liability for you. The cells in these batteries are known to leak. They can damage the environment in mere seconds. The lead poles of the battery are harmful so touching them without proper protection can lead to dire consequences. It is best to keep button cells away from children.

What does the battery market tell us about battery recycling?

From a market perspective, lead acid batteries have a huge margin. Consumers use it as a starter battery. NiCd is in second place as this type of battery is most common in the aviation and boating industry. Many of these batteries are in decline as people are moving towards lithium-based batteries. If battery recycling is done properly then using these batteries is all good. Remember each battery that we mention has its separate chemistry as well as its recycling process. It is wise to sort them out if you want to speed up the disposal process.

Batteries That RTI Recycles Responsibly:

 Lead Acid:

Recycling of lead acid started in early 1912. The process to do so is simple and cost-effective in every way possible. This helps us to extract lead multiple times. However, in 2013 with the inclusion of Lion batteries into the market, this became a dangerous process. As you know, Li-ion physical appearance is almost identical to lead batteries.

So, it became apparent that we need to sort them instead of directly disposing of them. Recycle Technologies is busy trying to de-escalate this issue by advocating to residents that battery recycling is crucial for the environment. When stripping Li-ion batteries they are more volatile than lead batteries. For safety reasons, we rely on presorting. Keep in mind Lead acid batteries are toxic but Li-ion batteries are explosive.

 Nickel-cadmium:

When a NiCd battery lands in a landfill, it is prone to leakage. Cadmium dissolves at a faster pace. When it encounters water supply. It is game over for us. Once contamination starts, clean-up crews are helpless to stop the chaos. Using a certified Recycler is your viable option to get rid of these batteries.

 Nickel Metal Hydride:

These kinds of batteries are semi-toxic. Discarding the trash in small quantities is advisable, but you need to check with state and federal regulations if they allow that. Huge quantities of these batteries must be sent to a recycling facility. Recyclers can help you dispose of these batteries. Make their content less toxic for you and your environment.

 Lithium batteries

Lithium batteries are great alkaline replacements. However, it is wise to dispose of them as soon as possible. Throwing them in a landfill can expose their internal organs and can start a fire. Keep in mind that extinguishing landfill fires is harder than you expected. It is wise to discharge these kinds of batteries before recycling them. Battery Recycling is a complicated process for recyclers. We make sure you breathe clean air.

 Li-ion batteries:

Li-ion batteries might seem harmless, but it all depends on their disposal. Recycling them helps lessen the harm the toxic materials might do. Their toxicity levels are the same as e-waste. For this reason, Li-on batteries in Europe do not enter a landfill. They are explosive. Cobalt is a major concern. This makes the li-ion battery the most toxic.

A 33 kWh Li-ion battery of a BMW vehicle includes 2 kg of cobalt, 6 kg of lithium, and 12 kg of manganese and nickel respectively. Don’t forget you also get 35 kg of graphite. Anything we recover will not be of high quality. But something is better than nothing. The battery recycling process involves the complete discharge of the spent li-ion batteries.

Several treatments can properly dispose of Li-ion batteries. This includes mechanical, pyro-metallurgical, and hydrometallurgical.

Alkaline Batteries:

Batteries containing mercury are dangerous. These batteries can be disposed of in the trash. But you have no confirmation if they will enter a landfill. Why take that chance? Your best solution would be to use a certified recycling facility to get the job done. Mercury batteries are considered a hazardous waste in the EU.  Recycle Technologies collects spent batteries and recycles them efficiently. We also recycle large lithium batteries. You can expect the use of Li-ion batteries to become common in the next 5–6 years.

Conclusion

Battery Recycling will become a common thing as well.  Before these spent batteries become a nuisance for us and our environment. It is best to recycle them as fast as we can. To give you an idea, Battery Recycling is an energy-intensive process. New recycling methods such as electrolysis can help strengthen the whole battery recycling process. This will give a boost to the circular economy in a way you can’t decipher.

Choosing the wrong recycler can be costly for you or your organization and land you in serious legal trouble. Due to the EPA regulations for battery recycling, your e-waste is your responsibility from start to finish.

Recycle Technologies is a certified universal waste recycler. It has been recycling e-waste since 1993.  Having all the necessary certifications signals that a recycler has the sole authority to do business. We have all the necessary documentation that allows us you fully recycle all your e-waste.

What Are Battery Recycling Services?

As per your state law, it is illegal to throw batteries into the trash. You need to dispose of them. You can either recycle them or donate them. Every recycler provides the necessary battery recycling service. What separates us from the rest is that battery recycling is close to our hearts.

Landfill Policy

A reputed recycling company, like Recycle Technologies, will always instruct on never disposing of batteries in a trash bin. Batteries, among other e-waste materials, end up in landfills this way, which makes the route of toxic chemicals of the waste all the easier to mix with groundwater. 

Be it any type of battery, Recycle Technologies has the expertise to obtain all the building materials for reuse through detailed protocols. Even though there is no federal law against e-waste or battery disposal, we take it upon ourselves to properly recycle all battery waste, no matter the ingredients. 

Battery We Recycle at our Recycling Center:

Following are all the different types of batteries we recycle:

• Lithium-ion
• Lithium Primary
• Alkaline
• Nickel Cadmium (dry and wet)
• Nickel Metal Hydride (dry and wet)
• SLAs (all sizes)
• Cell Phone 
• Laptop 
• Battery backups
• Power tool packs
• Tesla Battery
• EV battery
• Mercury battery

Tips to Figure Out the Right Battery Recycling Company

Working with a reputable battery recycler will have significant effects on your company. Taking some simple precautions while going with a recycler can save your business money, time, and the public's health. 

Following are some of the best tips to figure out the best in the business immediately:

Recycling Accreditations

Almost every reputable recycling firm requests national accreditation. Having all the necessary certifications indicates that the recycling company workers underwent professional training, allowing them to understand industry best practices. 

As a business owner, you have a legal obligation to ensure that the future of your unwanted products is entrusted to a registered waste carrier. At Recycle Technologies, we encourage people to look thoroughly at our associations and accreditation.

Our EPA, RIOS, R2 V3 (Responsible Recycling), NAID AAA, and the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers (ALMR) certifications are some of our achievements on our website. This way, our customers can trust in our premium and environmentally friendly level of service they require.

Experience

If you have to choose a recycling company, look for an organization that has solid experience that speaks for itself. A reputed recycling company should have proper protocols for collection and handling processes. A good recycler should have solid capabilities for handling hazardous and non-hazardous waste. 

Take Recycle Technologies, for example. We have been in the recycling business since 1993. We are the only minority-owned Midwest-based company with facilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

Over the years, we have gained hands-on knowledge about battery waste and ways to recover 100% of the materials for future use. We have strived to perfect our collection system, improve our recycling practices and elaborate our public relations to increase awareness.

Recycler Reputation

Experience alone can not paint the whole picture: you must discover their reputation with their previous customers. Our operational zones, Minnesota and Wisconsin, have state laws against rule breakers.

Some of these violations include not putting appropriate waste in their bins, to disregarding established safety procedures. When choosing the right company, do a quick internet background check to see if the name pops up in the news for all the wrong reasons. Even if they offer you a great bargain in terms of pricing, you should not pick them if they have an outstanding fine and a questionable reputation.

Reasonable Rates

The best recycling company, like Recycle Technologies, will be the one that offers fair pricing while still making a profit. You should always gather quotes from several businesses and conduct a market analysis of the available pricing options. This information will help you to negotiate a fair price.

Many customers believe it is wise to only rely on pricing as a factor. Sure, a company can offer you the lowest price possible, but there should be other things you consider. 

In Conclusion

To sum up, a good recycling company fully complies with the rules, has a reputation, provides services to various customers, and has speedy customer service. Recycle Technologies check all the above boxes. 

We collaborate with vendor facilities at each recycling step to provide comprehensive battery recycling services. To streamline the e-waste handling process, our professionals double-check every process, the quality of retrievals, and adherence to environment-friendly practices. 

If you want to keep hazardous chemicals from landfills. Battery Recycling is the solution. Batteries are composed of various elements, but the prominent one is cobalt and nickel. Once batteries complete their usefulness, they are either scrapped or thrown in the trash. The latter is far more dangerous than the former. That is due to the part that almost all thrown batteries land in landfills. These become a hazard to the environment within days. They are prone to leaking toxic elements that can contaminate the soil and the water sources underneath them.

What can you expect from battery recycling?

With battery recycling, you can expect two things. One hazardous chemical is properly taken care of. And second, you don’t need to mine virgin resources to create new batteries. Instead, you will rely on the recycled materials to do just that. There are countless benefits of recycling. That is why the federal government has started focusing on battery recycling and which best practices to rely upon. The new infrastructure investment and jobs act has added the groundwork to why battery recycling is important. Through this law, a large amount of funding has been allocated toward the promotion of battery recycling.

What is the bipartisan infrastructure law, and how does it help battery recycling?

On 15th November 2021, President Biden signed the infrastructure investment and jobs act into law. The main goal of this law is to invest in the health and equity of American Communities. Part of the funding will be towards supporting local waste management infrastructure and recycling programs. Currently, EPA hopes to increase battery recycling nationwide.

 This suggests to many Americans that recycling is the only way forward. Our reliance on natural resources will cease once we find a way to properly reuse spent resources. And that way is recycling. Lead Batteries are the most common products in the market today. With recycling, we can claim up to 90 % of the spent materials present in them. With this resource, we can generate new lead batteries and stop our reliance on virgin resources.

How the new law will enhance battery recycling?

The infrastructure investment and Jobs Act will help support an increased focus on battery recycling. Now the law has allocated 10 million USD to EPA to develop battery recycling best practices. That is not all another 15 million USD has been allocated to list battery labelling guidelines. The deadline for these tasks is September 2026. The main reason the federal government is so much interested in battery recycling is the danger of discarded batteries.

When batteries are thrown away rare resources are4 lost forever and hazardous chemicals are prone to contamination. Mining new virgin resources is not only expensive but at the same time damaging for the environment. With the help of recycling, we can clean, process, and reuse these materials.

Why choose Recycle Technologies for battery recycling?

The corrosive elements in batteries are a fire hazard and create massive air pollution risks if not properly taken care of. Not properly disposed of batteries will cause overburdened communities, workers, and first responders to suffer. To protect our future generation, we must act now and move towards battery recycling. Residents of Minnesota and Wisconsin can rely on Recycle Technologies to provide them with a safe and secure way to dispose of their spent batteries. Our state-of-the-art recycling center is always able and willing to accept all your electronic waste. Our mail-in program helps residents dispose of smaller batteries and lighting sources such as bulbs. Please follow this link if you want to know how you can make a difference.

How the future of battery recycling is not written in stone?

This renewed focus by the federal government is a welcome sight. With the Federal government, we can expect battery collection and recycling programs to become more accessible for residents. These new practices will help local waste management to properly take care of the environment. In the coming years, Recycle Technologies feels battery recycling will become a huge focal point. With increased funding, innovation will be discovered for battery recycling. This means for the first time there will be less waste in our landfills.

With recycling you help reduce the negative impacts of the materials on the environment. You can help reclaim spent resources. The benefits of battery recycling which you can expect are:

• Reduction in soil and water contamination
• Reduced health risks for waste management workers, those living in communities, and first responders in charge of responding to landfill fires.
• Reduction in mining natural resources
• Lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Conclusion

Battery recycling is a powerful tool. With it, you can decrease the chance of corrosive materials and heavy metals entering the environment.  The reclamation of the materials will help us create new batteries that will be better than the original. If you like to know more about how Recycle Technologies is making a difference when it comes to battery recycling, click here. To learn what is EPA doing for battery recycling click here.

Be sure to talk to our recycle technologies team about recycling your batteries for yourself or your business. We can help you properly dispose of your dead batteries and protect you from a legal risk that you may not see coming. With Recycling Technologies, we make recycling simpler. You can reach us at the numbers listed below. We look forward to helping you discover new ways when it comes to battery recycling.

Batteries power everything from scooters to planes. They have become an essential part of our lives. The amount of batteries present in our trash and landfills is staggering. As a new version of batteries comes into the market, the spent batteries either go to either of the above places. People don’t realize how much of this is a big deal.  By 2030 you can expect customers to opt for lithium batteries over lead batteries.

Lithium batteries are cheaper to create.

That is one of the main reasons why many consumers will shift to newer batteries. But people seem to forget what are we going to do with all the spent lead batteries. We can't just throw them in the trash. We need to dispose of them properly if we want to make a difference. Battery recycling is the only way where you can expect to claim 100 % of the resource involved in manufacturing these batteries in the first place.

What makes Recycle Technologies the best candidate when it comes to battery recycling?

Regardless if the batteries are reused or repurposed, they need to be recycled first. At this junction, we face several challenges to fully implement battery recycling. Recycle Technologies adheres to all state and federal regulations. Our recycling initiative enables us to reduce environmental impacts and help reclaim resources. The main issue that recyclers like us face is that fewer people are using battery recycling as a means to properly dispose of batteries. Instead, they throw them in the trash.

Consumers keep forgetting that throwing batteries in the trash are state and federal offense. By doing so they could end up in jail. Storing them in your homes it will automatically become a health hazard to you and your family.

Why battery recycling has become more essential now than before?

Battery recycling is important because it helps us reclaim virgin resources which we then repurpose to create new batteries. Keep in mind that the resource we reclaim has a 100% residual value. This is more we get what we had initially. This is one of the specialities of battery recycling. We get access to resources that we can’t find them naturally. It is either too expensive or rare. EV battery is also making strides as they become prominent with use.  Currently, EV batteries reach their life when more than 80% of their cell capacity has been spent. It takes 8 to 12 years to reach that target. This show how good EV batteries are. 

Are lithium batteries the future?

The high sales of lithium batteries are a good sign that sooner or later consumers may shift to them from lead batteries. But on the disposal side of lead batteries, it paints a grim picture.  

A lithium battery is primarily composed of rare earth resources which can be reclaimed. These can then be reused to create new batteries that in return lower manufacturing costs. The cost to manufacture lithium batteries is far cheaper than what it takes to make a new lead battery. Three elements are the mainstay of all lithium batteries. These include cobalt, nickel, and lithium. Sourcing these elements is an expensive affair. Their price changes regarding the demands.

By recycling and reclaiming valuable material, you can expect a potential amount of material not to end up in landfills. This means by using a recycling program you can fully reclaim all resources it took to create that battery.

Why battery recycling will help us reclaim Cobalt?

Cobalt is the most valuable component for both recycling and the battery itself.

Recycling helps us to rely on fewer virgin resources that are slowly depleting. The world supply of cobalt comes from Congo. By recycling lead and lithium batteries, we can stop depending on foreign nations for resources and better our overall supply chain. We can strengthen the whole circular economy.

To create new batteries we need a strong alternative. We can accomplish this by recycling batteries. The by-products of the recycled material will help us create new batteries that are more persistent. With recycling, you can expect alternatives than reliance on virgin resources.

Recycle Technologies and Battery Recycling

The above reasoning is why Recycle Technologies is pursuing policies that are safe and secure in every way possible. To create a sustainable system for battery recycling and manufacturing we require a proper process for collection, logistics, standardization, and investment in infrastructure. The circular economy is a great way to mitigate this but at what costs?

A closed loop of recycling batteries is vital if we want to stop reliance on virgin resources and create new batteries. Several States are in the process of introducing policies to ensure that EV batteries sold in the state are fully recycled. The lithium-Ion battery market will reach $1 trillion by 2026.

Policies that Recycle Technologies is pursuing will play a key role in sustainability and finding new ways to properly recycle lead and lithium batteries.

Conclusion

With the technology available today we can easily recycle batteries economically. Future innovation in our processes will enable us to reduce pollution, and greenhouse gases, and less reliance on virgin resources.  The cost to manufacture a lithium-ion battery is becoming cheaper but the cost to recycle batteries is still the same. Unless we develop policies to properly dispose of batteries and reclaim resources. We are bound to repeat what Carl Sagan said about us all those eons ago. If we don’t act now, we may never get to act again.

Why do you need an R2 Certified e-waste recycling company?

If you are a business or a government agency looking for an e-waste recycling company, then you have come to the right place. Recycle Technologies is an R2 V3 certified recycling company. Being R2 certified benefits you to know that the whole recycling process is accountable.  Not only does it ensures that we protect the environment but human health and safety. Sustainable Electronics Recycling International has certified Recycle Technologies for R2 Certification.

The main goal of SERI is to minimize the environmental and health risk posed by end-of-life electronics. Responsible Recycling is Recycling Technologies' mission as well as SERI`s. We not only protect human health but the environment by keeping toxic materials out of landfills.