Understanding The Process Of Recycling Lead-Acid Batteries

Most people participate in some form of recycling. The most common options are paper, plastic, and cans. You may be surprised to learn that there are battery recycling services. In addition to traditional batteries, you can also recycle lead-acid batteries. Examples of lead-acid batteries are vehicle-starting batteries and deep-cycle batteries. If you have these batteries, here are some key points about the recycling process for them.

Three Recycling Aspects

One of the first things you need to know about lead-acid batteries and battery recycling services is that there are three aspects to this specific type of recycling. The plastic casing, interior lead, and sodium sulfate are all recycled separately and for different reasons. This means that every aspect of the battery is used either in new products or as part of refurbished new batteries that are sold by the recycling company.

New Items

You may be wondering what new items can be made from the recycled lead-acid batteries. The main product is a new lead-acid battery. However, if you are strictly looking for items outside of a refurbished battery, there are several. The plastic can be used for new plastic covers or as part of items that use recycled plastics like recycled bottles and industrial plastic items. The interior lead is used in a number of applications, including new industrial grids. The lead can also be melted down and used as lead ingots for industrial construction purposes. The sodium sulfate is used in glass, tiles, and even detergents.

Transport of Batteries

Most of the battery recycling services do not recycle the batteries on-site. Instead, they use transportation methods that are already in the battery supply and delivery industry. For example, some companies offer the same trucks that bring in the new batteries to load the old batteries and transport them to the recycling areas. When the batteries are refurbished, the same transport service will pick them up and bring them back to the store location. This is one of the ways the store can keep refurbished battery costs down for their customers. 

If you have some old lead-acid batteries that need recycling, visit your local battery recycling services center. They can help you with the recycling of the batteries. They can also answer any questions that you have regarding your other battery recycling needs. If you have multiple lead-acid batteries, consider scheduling a time to bring those in for recycling.