Do we ever realize how important is that to recycle scrap batteries? Did we ever think what to do with the batteries when they complete their life span? For knowing the answer, it is more important to understand the basic knowledge of scrap batteries.

What Is Scrap Battery?

When any battery reaches to the edge/end of its usable life after a particular amount of usage, it is referred as a scrap or dead battery. This scrap battery contains many heavy and poisonous chemicals. If one couldn’t take a proper care of scrap batteries, these chemicals collapse the ground water and cause soil pollution/contamination. Acidic nature of chemicals can cause harmful effect to the person who touches the battery with naked hands and can lead to skin diseases. Mercury, Cadmium and Lead are considered as most toxic battery substances. To prevent the environmental pollution, dead batteries need to be collected in-time, stored and recycled by experts like West Coast Metals. The battery scrap can be treated by electrolysis process to separate impurities from oxides, sulfates and other metals etc. One of the major lead extraction can be taken by recycling the scrap batteries. These can be used as disposal, material extraction and even reuse of battery.

Types of Batteries

Batteries come with toxic and corrosive elements. Improper disposal of batteries can cause air, soil and water pollution and ended up in landfills where they only leak. Below mention are the types of recyclable batteries:

• Lead & Sulphur acid batteries
• Nickel-Cadmium batteries
• Mercury batteries
• Zinc-Carbon batteries
• Zinc-Air batteries
• Medical batteries
• Rechargeable batteries
• Nickel metal- Hydride batteries

Why Is It Important To Recycle Scrap Batteries?

There are many reasons that implies the importance of batteries to be recycled as soon as they stop functioning. According to impacting factors of batteries, about 50% of total lead supply comes from recycled batteries. Lead is mostly used in automotive industry. It uses in car batteries, wheel weights & in electronics. Automotive industry is the one demanding a lot about scrap batteries because of the lead importance. Batteries recycling process can bring many other raw materials like manganese, iron, chromium & copper etc.

Another important reason of battery recycling compulsion is that many laws have been imposed by governments for clean use of energy and for disposable reuse of batteries. One can avoid the hazardous nature of scrap batteries by considering below mention points.

• Batteries contain non-renewable metals such as lead, cadmium, nickel, steel, zinc, silver & manganese. According to Australian standard for electronic waste recycling (AZ/NZS 5377:2013), disposal of used batteries to landfill is not acceptable by law due to having rare earth elements.
• Batteries like lithium can explode or catch fire if they are scrapped or over-heated so, they need to be recycled.
• Batteries in toys and other households are dangerous for homies especially kids. As soon as they stop working one should cash the scrap.
• To safe the landfills from certain types of batteries especially those which contains toxins like lead, mercury & cadmium one should consider recycling option from experts and save environment.
• Corrosive and toxic elements of batteries can be the reason of water and air pollution that needs to be addressed.
• Sulphuric acid in car batteries can burn human skin and cause soil damages, too.
• To facilitate the efficient recovery of organic metals from waste, landfills are replaceable by alternative technologies that recover green waste. Hazardous wastes like scrap/junk/dead batteries must be removed from waste to facilitate the recovery of organic material into quality/valuable products like compost and soil conditioners.

Recycling batteries is always an up to mark option for safety of both human & nature. One should never take risk of just throwing old household or car batteries in to trash. If you want to keep the environment toxins & pollution free, you need to consider the importance of recycling batteries. It conserves energy and upgrade the value and life of metals.

Battery Recycling with West Coast Metals

West Coast Metal is serving community from past 17 years and established their name with high quality service and well-known reputation. Once you bring your scrap batteries to them, you will experience professional dealing of experts. They recycle all types of materials ranging from copper, aluminum, ferrous or non-ferrous etc. The best part of consulting West Coast Metal is if you are unaware of your scrap metal, they will provide you with list to check and guide accordingly. Try them to believe their services.