ReMA supports policy measures facilitating collection, safety and proper end-of-life management of small, medium batteries

The board of directors for the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA), Washinton, approved the association’s position on end-of-life battery management for nonembedded small and medium format batteries Feb. 27 at the ReMA Winter Board meeting in Washington.

Improper disposal of batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries, creates serious fire, safety and insurance risks for the public and the recycled materials industry, ReMA says. Batteries that end up in the wrong streams can be difficult to detect, posing fire suppression and containment challenges that can result in injuries to employees, costly damage to equipment, facilities and vehicles resulting in increased insurance liability for affected operations and supply chain disruptions.

To prevent these hazards, the association says, batteries must be handled properly by specialized recyclers, or they become a threat to public safety, recycling facility employees and recycling infrastructure rather than being a valuable resource for the recovery of critical minerals and other recyclable materials.

ReMA says it supports policy measures that facilitate and increase collection, safety and proper end-of-life management of nonembedded small and medium batteries, including reuse and recycling that align with the following principles:

• Consumer education and outreach must be prioritized to ensure public safety, responsible recycling and ongoing community engagement.

• Funding should be provided by the producers of the battery or battery-containing product, covering collection, transportation, processing and public education, as well as an infrastructure assessment to guide safety and detection investments.

• Battery stewardship organizations (BSOs) should operate in coordination and with state oversight to arrange for the collection and recycling of battery formats they represent.

• Independent collection and management of batteries by recyclers should not be restricted if their collection is recorded and reported and batteries are responsibly managed according to the law.

• Covered battery formats have different requirements for safe and responsible collection, packaging, transport and processing that should be accounted for, and collectors should not be required to handle formats they are not properly trained and equipped to handle.

• State oversight in coordination with a stakeholder advisory committee should ensure against flow control and market access imbalances and ensure confidential and secure data reporting to the state or a third party, nonvested entity.

• Design for recycling must be encouraged for battery manufacturers and producers so batteries can be safely used by consumers and reused, repurposed, or recycled at end of life.

• Civil actions and penalties for improper disposal should be included for grossly negligent or knowing actions by commercial entities, and BSOs should provide collection from recyclers receiving batteries they cannot accept.

ReMA’s full position on end-of-life battery management for nonembedded small and medium format batteries is available on RecycledMaterials.org.