Is battery recycling really recycling?

So I guess you can take your batteries to Best Buy and Ikea for recycling but how green is this? Are the batteries taken to some kind of facility where they strip them down to make new batteries? Or, are they just sent to a dump in SE China or Nigeria where some poor souls have to scavenge through them looking for precious metals a la old computers?

i found this doing a little google search

http://www.longboatkey.org/Departments/PWK/battery_recycle.htm

http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/consumer/consumer_program.html

Originally Posted by risqu3

i found this doing a little google search

http://www.longboatkey.org/Departmen...ry_recycle.htm

http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/con...r_program.html

your search yielded US sites if you had read them more carefully

When you recycle a battery, it should get disposed of properly (ie any toxic chemicals, heavy metals are disposed of properly) so they don't leach into the ground. The amount that is actually recyclable depends on the battery.

Originally Posted by jayk

your search yielded US sites if you had read them more carefully

so the information isn't useful in them?

saw a story on market place, there is a national rechargeable battery recycling program but no non-rechargeable program
there are some organizations that collect batteries but i think they're only diverting not "recycling"

I've got about 20lbs of used/dead non-recyclable batteries collecting in a bag in my office because I didn't want to dump them in the garbage. Who can I take these to??

I am also interested in what happens in Canada. I think more retailers are taking back batteries,etc which is a good thing as long as they are doing something with them that ensure they are treated correctly....

I collect all my old batteries too. Was going to go to the dump eventually but haven't made it yet. I have some old UPS batteries too not sure if I can bring them there also? (They have a battery collection program in Halton... but, it is suppose to be for "personal" use only... I have a LOT of stuff because I have been collecting it for a few years so hopefully they aren't jerks about it)

Originally Posted by nelsonmp5

saw a story on market place, there is a national rechargeable battery recycling program but no non-rechargeable program
there are some organizations that collect batteries but i think they're only diverting not "recycling"

Did you even watch the episode? The batteries are recycled and not diverted.

Originally Posted by gmark2000

I've got about 20lbs of used/dead non-recyclable batteries collecting in a bag in my office because I didn't want to dump them in the garbage. Who can I take these to??

You can take them to BestBuy and MEC...they have bins where you can drop off batteries for recycling.

Originally Posted by gmark2000

I've got about 20lbs of used/dead non-recyclable batteries collecting in a bag in my office because I didn't want to dump them in the garbage. Who can I take these to??

Ikea, Futureshop, Bestbuy (all 3 have drop off boxes in the front) take them.

Originally Posted by gmark2000

I've got about 20lbs of used/dead non-recyclable batteries collecting in a bag in my office because I didn't want to dump them in the garbage. Who can I take these to??

Do you mean non-rechargable or non-recyclable?

A question for others: Does Bestbuy or whoever take these stuff take non-rechargable battery? I know they take dead rechargable battery but do they take non-rechargable?

Originally Posted by YLSF

I am also interested in what happens in Canada.

I have some old UPS batteries too not sure if I can bring them there also?

There are a few organizations that handle battery recycling in Canada, but by far Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation is the largest and handles all the walk in programs for the big box stores.

http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/


Alkaline and other disposable batteries can be quite expensive to recycle while other types may yield enough materials to have a positive value so that's why most places say only personal use since the big box store is picking up the tab for any shortfall. Your UPS batteries are most likely lead-acid so it could be recycled similar to a car battery.

To clarify/answer gman's and mtl4's posts to the best of my limited knowledge:

A. The BestBuy drop off bins will take both alkaline (non-rechargeable) and rechargeable batteries.
B. RBRC only takes rechargeable batteries. They do not handle the BestBuy program which is done by a company called Greentec. In fact, I believe that according to the Marketplace program the RBRC intake is a minor percentage of all of the batteries used in Canada. As a side note, I knew the lady in charge of marketing this program when it first launched.
C. Lead acid batteries used in UPSes can be sent back (at least with APC that's been the case) or they should be recycled at your community's hazardous waste sites.

Originally Posted by IronMac

To clarify/answer gman's and mtl4's posts to the best of my limited knowledge:

A. The BestBuy drop off bins will take both alkaline (non-rechargeable) and rechargeable batteries.
B. RBRC only takes rechargeable batteries. They do not handle the BestBuy program which is done by a company called Greentec. In fact, I believe that according to the Marketplace program the RBRC intake is a minor percentage of all of the batteries used in Canada. As a side note, I knew the lady in charge of marketing this program when it first launched.
C. Lead acid batteries used in UPSes can be sent back (at least with APC that's been the case) or they should be recycled at your community's hazardous waste sites.

Just a few comments since I do have a little knowledge in this area to share.

A) I believe they do take both, but I'm not sure which company handles the non-rechargable type since RBRC does not handle them. It could be a company like Nu-Life Industries or similar that is set up to process non-rechargables.

B) Yes, you are correct.

RBRC will only recycle the following:
Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd)
Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH)
Lithium Ion (Li-ion)
Small Sealed Lead (usually 1 kilogram or less but some flexability may exist by location)

RBRC does not accept mercury oxide, silver oxide, wet cell rechargeable batteries, lithium primary, alkaline or button type batteries.

RBRC's intake is not large when compared to all batteries because the non-rechargable type outnumber the sales of rechargables almost 7 to 1, although that number seems to be changing.

Greentec is only an e-waste recycler, they don't do batteries. I'd bet that both of those companies are behind the Bestbuy recycling program. RBRC handles the battery program for Staples, Battery Plus, Bell Mobility, Black's Photography, Canadian Tire, Future Shop, Home Depot, Home Hardware, RadioShack, Revy, Telus and Zellers among others.

C) A regional landfill will probably take it back as HHW but the better option would still be to bring it back to BestBuy (or other big box store) if their recycler is willing to take it since otherwise you'll be using local tax dollars unneccsarily.