A BATTERY IS A DEVICE in which the energy of a chemical reaction can be converted into electricity. Small, sealed button and six-volt batteries are used for consumer products; “starting batteries” deliver a short burst of high power to start engines; “deep-cycle batteries” deliver a low, steady level of power for electrical accessories such as trolling motors on boats; and large industrial batteries have thicker plates and can supply low steady power for years. This profile is limited to lead-acid batteries used by motor vehicles.

A lead-acid battery consists of a polypropylene casing; lead terminals and positive and negative internal plates; lead oxide; electrolyte, a dilute solution of sulfuric acid and water; and plastic separators made of a porous synthetic material. More than 80 percent of the lead produced in America is used in lead-acid batteries.

Lead-acid batteries have the highest recycling rate of any product sold in the United States. This is because of the ease of returning a used battery when purchasing a new battery and the value of the lead and plastic components of the used battery.

Chaz Miller is state programs director for the National Solid Wastes Management Association, Washington, D.C. E-mail the author at: cmiller@envasns.org

Lead-Acid Battery Municipal Solid Waste Facts:

Generated:

• 2.29 million tons or 1.0% by weight.*

• 15.75 pounds (lbs.) per person.*

• The average life of a car battery is four years.

• The average life of a truck battery is three years.

• The amount of lead in a car battery is 21.4 lbs.

Recycled:

• 2.13 million tons or 93%.*

• 97% of battery lead is recycled (industry data).

• Nine states have battery deposit laws.

• Most states require retailers to collect old lead-acid batteries from customers who buy new batteries.

Recycled Content:

• A typical battery has 60% to 80% recycled lead and plastic.

Composted:

• Lead-acid batteries should never be placed in a composting pile.

Incinerated or Landfilled:

• 160,000 tons or 0.1% by weight.*

• Should not be incinerated.

• 41 states ban disposal in Subtitle D landfills.

Landfill Volume:

• Negligible.

Density

• Average car battery weighs 39 lbs.

• Average truck battery weighs 53 lbs.

• Average motorcycle battery weighs 9.5 lbs.

Source-Reduction:

• In 10 years, car battery cycles have increased from 2500 to 6000.

• Industrial batteries can last 10 to 20 years.

Recycling Markets:

• Polypropylene casings processed back into new battery casings.

• Lead is recycled into lead plates and other battery parts.

• Battery acid is either neutralized, treated and discharged into sewers or processed into sodium sulfate, a powder used in laundry detergent, glass and textile manufacturing.

Sources:

Battery Council International, www.batterycouncil.org

“Measurement Standards and Reporting Guidelines”, National Recycling Coalition, Washington, D.C., www.nrc-recycle.org

“Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2003,” U.S. EPA, 2005, www.epa.gov/osw

Waste Age, “If They Ban It, Will It Go Away?” October 1993

*EPA estimates for 2003