Safe Battery Handling with EPA’s Battery Recycling Session

Battery recycling continues to be a hot topic in the waste industry, and the U.S. EPA is planning to launch a battery recycling work session next month, where battery manufacturers, nonprofits, local governments, and others can share their experiences with insights into battery recycling. 

The announcement was made last month during the Consumer Technology Association’s CES 2024 trade show, where the EPA invited battery stakeholders to attend this year’s session to help the EPA develop tools to improve battery recycling efforts, including collection best practices and voluntary label guidelines. The sessions will also help discover new strategies for making batteries more sustainable and holding onto critical minerals. 

According to the senior advisor for implementation for the Office of Land and Emergency Management, “They’re foundational in helping us to move to an economy where we are mitigating climate change. We have to consider end-of-life strategies to avoid the environmental impacts that could come if we don’t manage them properly.” 

The sessions are part of an EPA push to boost the nation’s recycling programs, despite funding from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and will be virtual alongside other tracks focusing on different topics. 

Nena Shaw, director of the EPA’s Resource Conservation and Sustainability Division, recalled when battery sustainability was only a “marginal issue” six years ago and is now center stage. Battery recycling has become a primary focus due to the obstacles batteries present during the disposition process, and many in the industry are eager for solutions to safe battery recycling. 

Lithium-ion batteries can cause chemical fires when mishandled. LIBs are in most electronics today, but the risk comes when the batteries are damaged. The disposition process can result in batteries being smashed or punctured by accident during recycling, leading to fires that can take days to extinguish and cause a chain reaction if other batteries are nearby. 

An influx of battery fires within the last decade has caused MRFs to take special precautions when handling LIBs, but it continues to be an industry issue. As an R2v3, RIOS, and ISO 14001 certified IT asset management and disposition provider,  HOBI follows an established set of industry safety standards regarding the potential LIB fire risk, including a list of safe, approved tools and procedures used in the battery removal process. 

For more information about our ITAD services, call 817-814-2620 or contact HOBI at sales@hobi.com.