Battery Recycling / Disposal
NI-CAD BATTERIES
Eastern Environmental Technology, Inc is happy to respond to your request for information on the capabilities at our facility to recycle batteries.
In 1995, approximately 70,000 tons of nickel, chromium and iron bearing wastes including 2,500 tons of nickel containing batteries were recycled. This resulted in the production of over 23,000 tons of stainless steel remelt alloy.
This facility is a permitted TSC (EPA I.D. PAD-087561015) secondary metals reclamation facility which actively reclaims nickel, chromium and iron from hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. As part of the technology, the process uses the only smelting furnace in North America dedicated to the recovery of nickel, chrome and iron while producing a stainless steel remelt alloy used by virtually all of the U.S. specialty steel manufacturers, plus customers in Canada, Europe and Japan.
On December 29, 1995, it began recovery of cadmium from spent nickel-cadmium batteries at the first and only production facility of its kind in North America. The recovered cadmium metal, which is at a minimum, 99.95% pure, will be used by manufacturers of Ni-Cad batteries.
Being a true reclaimer and recycler who has been in operation since 1978, all state and federal requirements for insurance are met, while providing an environmentally sound approach to the processing and reclaiming of valuable metals.
LEAD ACID BATTERIES
Legal Responsibilities
The restrictions governing the recycling disposal of lead-acid batteries are often complicated. What’s more, the regulations are constantly changing and expanding. Today there are more than 12,000 pages of federal environmental regulations, plus numerous state and local municipal regulations and statutes that are more stringent than federal. However, one point is clear throughout; once a battery is purchased, it is the owner, not the manufacturer, who is liable and responsible for the proper disposal of the battery.
The law says that when you generate a Universal Waste, including a spent lead-acid battery, you are responsible for it from “cradle to grave”. This means that if your lead-acid battery is disposed of improperly, such as dumped in a landfill or is shipped to a scrap dealer and is not properly handled, YOU may be held responsible for any environmental damage which occurs.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the only acceptable methods for battery disposal involve “thermal recovery” or recycling of the hazardous substances in batteries. It is illegal to dispose of batteries and lead parts in any other manner. There are also applicable Department of Transportation (DOT) guidelines regarding the shipping of Universal Waste including lead-acid batteries.
We’re here to help. Eastern Environmental Technologies, Inc, (EET) interprets and makes sense of the laws. More importantly, we give you security and confidence. With our program you are assured that your spent lead-acid batteries are being managed and handled in accordance with federal and state regulations.
The Eastern Environmental Technologies, Inc., Battery Recycling Program.
EET’s comprehensive lead-acid battery recycling program is environmentally friendly and is part of our nationwide service package.
One more thing: While some other companies may claim to be able to “indemnify” you against Superfund liability you should know that these statements may be misleading and are not condoned by EET. The battery recycling program chosen by EET does however, ensure that you are in full compliance with all EPA, DOT, and or federal and state regulations.
Furthermore, our program is flexible enough to meet all your logistical needs. EET will pick up your spent lead-acid batteries and dispose of them in an environmentally safe manner.
With our program, you can also recycle lead-acid batteries in any quantity or mix – regardless of size or manufacturer. In other words, our program can be a focal point for your entire battery disposal needs.
To protect all parties involved, we go one step further than the regulations call for by providing complete documentation including a Recycling Certificate. We strongly believe in our customers and in our environment and we’ll do whatever it takes to provide for and protect both.
Proper battery disposal must be a major concern for all of us-no matter how brief your involvement is with the batteries. It’s important for both the protection of the environment and for the legal issues involved. For more information on Eastern Environmental’ s Battery Recycling Program, please call 914-934-2100.
Working together we can assure the preservation of our environment and continue to meet our mutual goals.
