Barriers and Solutions in Waste Management for Consumer Batteries - Essay Example

Barriers and solutions in waste management for consumer batteries While consumer batteries are prevalent in all households today, only few understand the environmental hazard they pose. With a growing dependence on technology items that range from computers, phones, televisions to various toys, the usage rates of batteries have gone up drastically. In the current world, both the primary (non-rechargeable) and secondary (rechargeable) batteries face a growing market demand. But as people use and throw these batteries, their disposal causes grave environment imbalance. A tabular representation on the kinds of batteries prevalent in the market today, their usage and market share is listed below. Types of batteries Hazardous substances present Usage Information Wet-cell batteries (lead acid batteries) Sulphuric acid and lead for automotives, vehicles and industry usage Prevalent, hazardous, 98% is recycled Dry cell batteries (non-rechargeable) Zinc-carbon Torches, radios, clocks Not very prevalent, being phased out, not very hazardous. Mercuric oxide/zinc air/silver oxide/ lithium Hearing aids, pace makers/watches, calculators Mercury is hazardous and being replaced by zinc, which is safer. Lithium is gaining popularity Zinc chloride Shavers, torches, toys Not prevalent, not hazardous, more prone to leakage Alkaline manganese Music systems Market share reducing, Hazardous but longer lasting Dry cell batteries (rechargeable) Nickel cadmium Power tools, cordless phones, mobile phones, laptops Fast growing (80% market share) but hazardous due to both Nickel and Cadmium Nickel metal hydride Same usage Less popular, less hazardous and longer lasting Lithium-Ion Same usage Less popular, greater energy storage capacity Data findings An average UK household reportedly uses 21 batteries per year of which only a meagre 2% are recycled. This amounts to 20,000 to 30,000 tonnes of general battery waste generated each year. Facilities for recycling automotive batteries are well developed and 90% of the highly hazardous automotive batteries go for recycling. However comparatively, only one percent of household batteries go for recycling. In 2000, approximately 19,000 tonnes of waste general usage batteries and 113,000 tonnes of automotive batteries had to be disposed. Most of these were dumped in landfill sites. Approximately 680 million batteries were purchased in UK in 2001, and statistics show that over 89% of these were general purpose batteries. Figures in other countries like US and Japan are as devastating. Estimates1 indicate that over three billion industrial and household batteries were sold in the US in 1998, and battery consumption rate rose by 5.8 percent annually through 2002. Between 1998 and 2003, the global demand for secondary batteries grew by 67% with Japan holding 65% of the market share in 2003. The cost of recycling varies in different countries, while some base it on the chemistry of the battery, others measure it across tonnage alone. However the basic cost for recycling batteries approximately comes to $1,000 to $2,000US per ton. The costs double when transportation is also included. This is a figure that all countries are trying to bring down, with Europe aiming to achieve the figure of $300 per ton (Buchmann, 2001). Authorities responsible for managing battery waste Currently various local authorities have been established specifically for managing battery waste. The Waste and Recycling Action Plan (WRAP) has started various programmes across UK for battery collection. REBAT is another organization in the UK set up to manage and collect portable rechargeable batteries. It is a component of the British Battery Manufacturer Association, and provides comprehensive information on recycling companies and support for battery recycling. A few of the battery recycling plants and programs set up in Europe include names of G&P Batteries, the first recycling plant dedicated to recycling household batteries. Britannia Refined Metals in Kent and HJ Enthoven & Sons in Derbyshire are two recycling units that specifically cater to wet cell batteries. Schemes to collect battery waste were also launched by Britannia Zinc, Avonmouth and Resource Saver, Bristol. This was a pioneering effort made in 2002 and collection along kebsides continues in Bristol. Other names include Batrec AG in Switzerland2, SAFT-NIFE in Sweden and Valdi/Tredi, Citron and Recupyl in France. In Japan, Sony and Sumitomo Metal have evolved a technology whereby cobalt etc can be recycled from used lithium ion batteries. Current and impending legislation 'Waste which consists of heavy metals is classified as hazardous wastes and is subject to special controls'3. Various legislations have also been set up or have been proposed to manage the growing threat of battery pollution. As per the UK government battery legislation and the European commission, the laws are only based upon the usage of heavy metals which mainly encompass lead acid batteries and Ni-Cd batteries. A EU directive on Batteries and Accumulators, introduced in 1991, states that batteries containing over 25mg of mercury, 0.025% of Cadmium and 0.4% of lead by weight, must be collected separately from household waste for special disposal/recycling. The legislation also sets permissible limits for these heavy metals. In 1998 the directive was further amended4 to reduce permissible limits and also prohibit marketing batteries with high levels of these metals. Another EU Directive5 requires that button cells be marked with the amount of hazardous materials they contain. Impeding legislations on further amendments are awaited whereby the member states would have to ensure that approximately 90% of the batteries are recycled. The amendment also includes a ban on land filling or burning the batteries for disposal. Finally, the battery makers would be responsible for disposal costs. Collection targets of 25%-45% for household batteries are also being considered. Roadblocks in managing battery waste While it is gratifying to note that some progress has been made in understanding the situation and keeping a check on battery usage and disposal, the management of battery waste is a bigger issue and needs to be understood and managed holistically. Today there are still various barriers that come in the way of waste management and to help our environment it is imperative to understand them. Disposal through landfills/ incineration Landfills are a prevalent disposal mode for many waste products in Europe (Williams Paul T, p 171, 2005) and till date have been a popular mode for disposing batteries also. However batteries contain toxic substances that if used as landfills may enter the soil and water streams causing pollution. The contamination can poison people and can result in a wide range of ill effects from body aches to cancer or other ailments. For example, in Ni-Cd batteries, the Cadmium can dissolve and enter the water supply. It is a carcinogen and can cause varied health problems (David J.1, pp. 71-73(3), Journal of Power Sources, Volume 57, Number 1, September 1995). Incineration of batteries has been another popular method for waste disposal in areas where land is scarce. However in the case of battery waste management, incineration can cause the toxic substances to enter air, water and soil thus poisoning the environment. In many cases it can also cause the battery to explode and cause damage. Using rechargeable batteries Rechargeable batteries have been proposed as a probable solution that can offer some respite to the growing problem of waste battery disposal. However among all rechargeable batteries, Ni-Cd is the most prevalent. Eventually even these batteries die out and pose greater environmental hazard with their heavy metal contaminants of lead or cadmium, which are more toxic than their alkaline counterparts. Battery recycling programs Waste recycling programs thus seem as the best solution and there has been a marked increase in recycling programs across the world (OECD 2004). Today many organizations have set up procedures and programs to collect battery waste and have designed recycling programs to reclaim metals and toxic substances from the waste. However these programs face their set of problems. The recycling programs are still not as far reaching. A small percentage (approximately 3%) of batteries is still disposed as landfills or is incinerated, posing great environmental hazards. The environment and the oceans are already showing traces of contamination through cadmium etc. though sources are unknown (Buchmann, 2001, http://www.buchmann.ca, Article16). Also while facilities for recycling of lead acid car batteries are growing, much is needed from the segment of recycling domestic batteries. These recycling centers are still at initial stages of development and enough centers are not available to match the growing amount of battery waste disposed. While waste separation programs have been put in place to ease the collection of batteries for recycling, it has its problems too. A few batteries still get disposed with household waste. Because many are unaware about battery pollution, various electronic items, especially those with inbuilt batteries, like watches and torches, get disposed into landfills or are incinerated causing havoc in the environment. Separating battery from household waste is a time-consuming exercise. Even if batteries are discarded separately, many battery recycling plants require that batteries with different chemistries be first separated and transported to specific recycling centers. Added to this, transportation often doubles the cost of recycling efforts. This increases the effort and the cost, which hikes the prices of the recycled materials. When the recycled materials enter the market they face stiff competition with virgin metals. Current battery recycling methods also consume a high amount of energy. Calculations show that approximately six to ten times more energy is needed to reclaim metals from recycled batteries than through other means. Solutions to problems The most effective method of waste management, needless to say, would be to reduce the amount of waste produced. Hierarchy of waste management places waste reduction at the top followed by reuse, recycling, recovery and then disposal (Williams Paul T, Waste Treatment and Disposal, p128, 2005). Waste prevention strategies as they are called, concentrate on reducing the amount of batteries produced, used and discarded. This can be achieved by the following means. Integrated waste management systems that integrate waste streams, collection and treatment methods, benefit the environment and are economically viable need to be implemented (Mc Dougall Et al 2001, Warmer Bulletin 49, 1996). New product development measures that focus more on mechanical sciences or solar energy than on batteries are the need of the hour. All manufacturers of electronic items must focus their R&D in this direction. The government must encourage these ventures through special funding. Products can also be redesigned to reduce or eliminate usage of hazardous substances. Such a redesign was implemented in 1994, when Mercury (a highly toxic substance) which was pertinent for alkaline batteries was reduced to trace levels. As battery recycling is expensive, research must also be done in cutting recycling costs. Economic sustainability should be checked at cost levels that are acceptable to all members of the community, including residents, battery manufacturers and the government (White et al, 1995, Warmer Bulletin 49, 1996). Transportation of raw materials to the recycling site is a major cost factor that can be controlled by having many small recycling units that are spread out in different parts of the country. Waste separation programs mandated by the government can also work wonders for the community. A few such programs have already been tested by Britannia Zinc at Avonmouth in 2002, where people disposed battery wastes in separate bags. Also the City Council at Birmingham provided containers for vehicle batteries at all of its five Household Recycling Centres (www.birmingham.gov.uk, last viewed on 20th April, 2007). A more probable solution would be to have battery drop off boxes for people to dispose battery waste. Many companies also take back the automotive batteries after they die, which must be made mandatory. Legislations that control battery usage can also help. Controlling the usage of in-built batteries, discarding toxic batteries for eco-friendly versions could be a few amendments. It can also be made mandatory that organizations producing batteries or equipment that uses batteries, take back the used cells while selling new ones. Waste reduction involves good practice, input material changes and also technology changes (Crittenden and Kolaczkowski, 1995) that can be brought in through the right legislations. Organizations must be encouraged to support battery disposal programs. Manufacturers, various agencies and even the government must be encouraged to offer significant subsidies for supporting the expensive exercise of battery recycling. This could be introduced in the form of tax on manufactured cells. Finally consumers must be educated on the amount of environmental hazard batteries pose. They must be advised on the usage of eco-friendly batteries and on the measures of how they can be safely disposed. Education is vital in bringing about a much needed revolution for the environment. 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