Lead batteries are the most recycled consumer product in the U.S. Better yet, the essential service provided by our nation’s established network of lead battery recyclers keeps more than 160 million used lead batteries from our landfills each year.
Achieving our 99% recycling rate number isn’t easy. It requires dedication to responsible safety and environmental practices, state-of-the art technology, and a continuous-improvement philosophy.
The results are worth it. Our work provides green benefits that go beyond safe and responsible waste management. We’re advancing our nation’s sustainability efforts, making a positive economic impact with thousands of green jobs, and providing resources critical to national security.
The very nature of our work exemplifies our commitment to a greener planet. We’re helping the U.S. reduce carbon emissions, advance electrification, and achieve a more sustainable economy aligned with the administration’s objectives.
How so? The lead battery industry is one of the most successful examples of a closed-loop, circular economy. Our domestic recyclers transform spent batteries back into valuable raw materials that are used to manufacture new batteries. Nearly all the lead, plastics and acid contained in a spent battery are recovered and recycled to produce replenished lead for new battery components, plastic for new battery casings, and sodium sulfate that is used in laundry detergent, glass and textile manufacturing.
The need for energy storage using lead batteries in the U.S. is immense. They are an irreplaceable link to connect, power and protect our daily lives. Sustainable lead batteries are essential to decarbonization, reducing GHG emissions in the following ways:
To meet this demand, domestic battery manufacturers produce millions of new lead batteries each year. In turn, millions of used batteries reach the end of their useful life each year. When they do, America’s lead battery recyclers are there to recover and process the spent batteries to produce the valuable resources required to manufacture the next generation of batteries.
The evolution of lead batteries into the advanced, modern chemistry they are today makes them safe, reliable and essential to our low carbon energy future. So, too, are our members that safely recycle these batteries. Without domestic lead battery recycling, the U.S. would need to import 1.6 million tons of lead annually.
We are proud of our people and the safe, responsible services they provide every day to make our communities stronger and our future more sustainable.
