The latest legislations on rechargeable battery recycling show that more and more US governments are recognizing the importance of recycling rechargeable batteries.But how can retailers and consumers put policy into practice? An organization set up by manufacturers is making it simple.
by Ralph Millard
Mobile phones, MP3 players and other devices are greatly increasing the number of rechargeable batteries in use - and entering the waste stream. A decade ago, in May 1996, with the growing popularity of rechargeable batteries, the United States Congress enacted a Federal legislation known as the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act (the Battery Act). This law was implemented to phase out the use of mercury in batteries and to provide for the efficient and cost-effective collection and recycling or proper disposal of used nickel-cadmium batteries, used small sealed lead batteries and certain other regulated batteries.
The Battery Act established national, uniform labelling requirements for ‘regulated batteries’ and for ‘rechargeable consumer products’ that are manufactured domestically or imported and sold for use in the US. The Act also mandated that consumers must be able to easily remove the regulated battery at the end of its life, using common household tools. This encourages consumers to remove the batteries for recycling.
From federal to state legislation
In addition to the Federal law, nine US states including California, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and Vermont, currently require the industry to develop and implement a state-approved rechargeable battery collection programme as a requirement of selling rechargeable batteries in the state.
Most recently, California and New York City have joined those states in creating legislation around rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling.
Effective 1 July 2006, California’s Cell Phone Recycling Act of 2004 requires retailers to provide a system for the acceptance and collection of used mobile phones for reuse, recycling or proper disposal. Similarly, under California’s Rechargeable Battery Recycling Act of 2006, effective 1 July 2006, retailers that sell small, non-vehicular rechargeable batteries in the state of California must provide consumers with a free system for returning these batteries for reuse, recycling or proper disposal.
 A number of federal and state legislation are requiring consumers to recycle rechargeable batteries from end-of-life portable electronic equipment |
The New York City Rechargeable Battery Recycling Ordinance, effective 1 December 2006, bans the disposal of used rechargeable batteries from the solid waste stream and requires manufacturers of rechargeable batteries to take back and recycle used rechargeable batteries that are sold or disposed of in New York City.
With the implementation of these new rechargeable battery and mobile phone recycling laws, there has been a greater awareness of rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling, not only in California and New York City, but across North America.
Recycling with RBRC
Working at both local and national levels, the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) was founded by the rechargeable battery industry in 1994. RBRC is a non-profit public service organization, funded by over 300 rechargeable battery manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and representing over 90% of the portable rechargeable battery industry.
RBRC collects and recycles nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium ion and small sealed lead (weighing less than 2 lbs or 1 kg each) - all the types of rechargeable batteries that power a variety of popular portable electronic products, such as mobile phones, power tools, laptop computers, camcorders, two-way radios and digital cameras.
With a recycling network of more than 300 licensees, 30,000 retail locations, 2600 businesses, and 4300 communities and public agencies, RBRC has established a sophisticated infrastructure to ensure the proper collection and disposal of rechargeable batteries and mobile phones. And through an aggressive public education campaign and its partners’ commitment, RBRC continues to see a steady increase in collection numbers. In fact, since 1995 RBRC and the industry have diverted more than 31 million pounds (11,570 tonnes) of rechargeable batteries from entering the solid waste stream.
How the programme works
Endorsed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), RBRC has developed battery recycling seals that include a toll-free number to let end-users know how to locate the nearest drop-off location in the US and Canada. By imprinting the RBRC Battery Recycling Seals onto battery packs, licensees are in full compliance with the Battery Act. Licensees pay a fee to place the official RBRC Battery Recycling Seal on their Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, Li-ion and Pb rechargeable batteries. The seal indicates to consumers that these rechargeable batteries can be recycled.
Consumers can find participating drop-off locations in their area by visiting RBRC’s database locator at www.call2recycle.org, or by calling toll-free at 1-877-2-RECYCLE. Rechargeable batteries and cell phones collected at RBRC-affiliated retail, community/public agency, or business locations are shipped directly to RBRC’s recycling facility in pre-paid collection boxes supplied by RBRC.
The rechargeable batteries are recycled at a metals recovery recycling facility. Some of the materials can be reclaimed and used in new products. For instance, the cadmium is used to make new batteries, while the nickel and iron are used to make stainless steel products. The mobile phones are either recycled or refurbished and resold when possible, with a portion of the proceeds from resale of phones benefiting select charities. All rechargeable batteries collected from the mobile phones are recycled.
Since January 2006, RBRC has experienced a 10% participation increase by adding 4466 new collection sites to its current roster of over 30,000 sites. During the first six months of 2006, 2.4 million pounds (896 tonnes) of rechargeable batteries were recycled through the RBRC programme, a 6.4% increase from the same six-month period in 2005.
Looking forward
Rechargeable battery recycling is an important contribution to protecting our environment, and it is indeed noteworthy that more and more consumers in North America are hearing the message and accepting the challenge to recycle. But this is only the beginning.
With e-waste attracting more attention, recycling rechargeable batteries will no longer be a luxury, but a necessity. Collecting the waste equipment will continue to remain a major challenge to overcome. Consumers often hold onto their electronic products that contain rechargeable batteries well after they’ve stopped using them, with the perception that they are still valuable and because they aren’t quite sure what else to do with them. However, with continued outreach and strong public education efforts, rechargeable battery recycling will become just as common as recycling newspapers, glass and plastic.
Ralph Millard is Executive Vice President of the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, US.
e-mail: rmillard@rbrc.com
Call to Recycle!
As mobile phone usage rose dramatically, RBRC recognized that for every mobile phone retired, there was also a rechargeable battery that can and should be recycled. Therefore, in 2004, RBRC expanded its programme Call2Recycle™ to include mobile phones, and became the only nationwide programme dedicated to rechargeable battery and mobile phone recycling in the US. and Canada
