Battery disposal: When rechargeable isn't reusable

How to dispose of spent rechargeable batteries can provoke questions in the summer during preparations for the new academic year. At Purdue, Radiological and Environmental Management provides recycling processes and information to ensure adherence to U.S. environmental regulations.

Those regulations do not cover typical alkaline and non-alkaline batteries, which can be placed in the trash. But occupants of labs, classrooms and offices on Purdue campuses use rechargeable batteries in countless devices -- cordless power tools, laptop computers, cellular and cordless telephones, digital cameras, laboratory equipment, and many other handheld devices. Sooner or later, even rechargeable batteries require replacement. REM provides West Lafayette campus recycling for the following types of rechargeable batteries:

* Nickel cadmium (Ni-Cad),
* Nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH),
* Lithium ion,
* Sealed lead acid.
* Mercury.

What to do

When you are ready to dispose of one of these battery types, please choose one of the following:

1. If non-leaking batteries are the only items you need to dispose, call REM at 49-40121. REM staff will ask your name, contact information, and the location of the batteries and typically will pick them up the next day.

2. If you are disposing of leaking or non-leaking batteries and other chemical items, simply list them on the Hazardous Waste Pickup Request Form at www.purdue.edu/ehps/rem/home/forms/HMM001.pdf. Once the form is submitted, REM will pick them up according to the normal hazardous waste pickup schedule.

More information about rechargeable batteries

* Training is mandatory for all personnel handling rechargeable batteries for recycling.

* Used rechargeable batteries may be classified as hazardous waste due to their heavy metal content and are thus regulated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Those regulations provide for management of hazardous wastes. When broken, these batteries can release heavy metals that damage the environment.

Questions about battery disposal should be directed to Brenda Snider or Adam Krajicek at 49-40121.