Recycled via:
- Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC).
- Not accepted at kerbside or local recycling points.
Lead-acid batteries are crushed during recycling into small pieces. The various components are separated out of the pieces. The crushed pieces are then transferred into a vat. Inside the vat, the heavy materials and lead drop to the bottom and the plastic floats to the top. Polypropylene plastic pieces are scooped up while the liquids are removed, leaving the heavy metals and lead. Thereafter, each of the materials go through a different recycling process.
Plastic
The plastic is washed, dried, and sent to a plastic recycler where the pieces are melted into an almost liquid-like state. The molten plastic is placed inside an extruder that creates small plastic pellets of the material. Pellets are then used in manufacturing new battery cases.
Lead
Lead oxide, lead grids, and other lead components are cleaned and heated inside smelters. The molten lead is then poured into ingot moulds where impurities float to the top. The impurities are removed before the ingots are cooled. After the ingots have sufficiently cooled, they are extracted from the molds and sent to battery companies where they are, again, melted and used in the manufacture of new batteries.
Sulfuric Acid
Old battery acid or sulfuric acid is either neutralized so it turns into water or processed and converted to sodium sulfate, which is an odourless powder. When converted to water, the neutralized acid, is treated and cleaned in a waste water treatment facility to ensure it meets clean water standards. If the acid is converted to sodium sulfate, it is used in the manufacture of laundry detergent, textiles, or glass.