spent batteries

[David_Campen]

how do you rate the bottle/can recycling programs around the country? Are they a good thing (as many people assume), or do you think they also expend too much energy dealing with materials that are essentially non-toxic?

Yes, an interesting question. Recycling aluminum and glass at least have some economies of scale and local processing. Probably the aluminum cans are worthwhile recycling. I wonder about glass - will recyclers actually pay you for glass and without needing any subsidy.

[David_Campen]

Are they really non-toxic? I figured they'd be full of heavy metals and toxic chemicals.

I am not aware of any toxic materials in alkaline batteries.

I would also say that there are no heavy metals in alkaline batteries except that the last time I did that someone found a document on the internet from some federal agency that seemed to define every metal except lithium as being a heavy metal.

[Dangerjudy]

Are they really non-toxic? I figured they'd be full of heavy metals and toxic chemicals.

I am not aware of any toxic materials in alkaline batteries.

I would also say that there are no heavy metals in alkaline batteries except that the last time I did that someone found a document on the internet from some federal agency that seemed to define every metal except lithium as being a heavy metal.

hmm. What exactly is IN a spent alkaline battery, then? Inquiring minds wanna know...

[David_Campen]

The metals that are involved in producing energy in an alkaline battery are zinc and manganese. The zinc starts out in metallic form and is converted to the oxide and the manganese starts out as the dioxide and is converted to the sesquioxide. The electrolyte is aqueous potassium hydroxide.

[David_Campen]

On another forum, someone has pointed out that the State of California now requires that that all batteries be "recycled". It seems that alkaline batteries have been defined as hazardous waste by legislative fiat. I think that I will write to my legislator and ask them to legislate that numerical constants like Pi and Euler's number have nice integer values instead of those messy transcendental values.
http://www.zerowaste.ca.gov/

[NZcaver]

On another forum, someone has pointed out that the State of California now requires that that all batteries be "recycled". It seems that alkaline batteries have been defined as hazardous waste by legislative fiat. I think that I will write to my legislator and ask them to legislate that numerical constants like Pi and Euler's number have nice integer values instead of those messy transcendental values.
http://www.zerowaste.ca.gov/

So have I got this straight? In a very eloquent way, you're actually ripping on the State of California for instituting a zero waste policy, and recycling alkaline batteries?
Or are you just fundamentally objecting to their use of the "number" zero...?

[David_Campen]

Yes, exactly. I am commenting on their being totally out of touch with reality. If they can define alkaline batteries as hazardous waste then I would think that they should have no trouble redefining mathematical constants.

[David_Campen]

Duplicate post deleted.

[NZcaver]

Yes, exactly. I am commenting on their being totally out of touch with reality. If they can define alkaline batteries as hazardous waste then I would think that they should have no trouble redefining mathematical constants.

OK - that's a relief. Now that we know alkaline batteries are not really hazardous waste, could you propose a way of recycling them so the metals can be used again rather than just ending up in a (non-hazardous waste) landfill?

[hank moon]

Now that we know alkaline batteries are not really hazardous waste

Obviously, it is a matter of opinion whether alkaline batteries are HW or not. Several states consider them to be such (as do I). That they have been classified by the Feds as "non-haz waste" means little to me. About as much as bush telling us that higher levels of arsenic in drinking water is nothing to worry about. Mixed drinks with crushed battery guts and extra arsenic, anyone?

[David_Campen]

could you propose a way of recycling them so the metals can be used again rather than just ending up in a (non-hazardous waste) landfill?

I think probably there is no way of recycling them that has less environmental cost than simply tossing them into the landfill. If the State of California believes otherwise then it would certainly be useful to see some sort of cost-benefit analysis instead of mindless, feel-good propaganda.

[bsignorelli]

The issue isn't whats CHEAPEST but what do we need to do thats "RIGHT".

You may not mind stuff going into the landfill but the people who live "near" it probably do when you consider what leaches out not matter how well constructed.

Also...I'd like to point out that the common phrase is REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE and those ideas are most effective if applied in that order.

Recycling doesn't always cost less and it shouldn't....recycling is what we do when we don't want an item to wind up in a landfill but we can't reduce or resuse an item.

[David_Campen]

Recycling doesn't always cost less and it shouldn't....

That is a nonsense statement. You have just said that the environmental cost of recycling a battery is irrelevant ie it would be OK to burn down the Amazon forest to recycle a single alkaline battery. Isn't the purpose of recycling to save the environment? But what you have said is that we should recycle alkaline batteries no matter how much damage it does to the environment.

[David_Campen]

Also...I'd like to point out that the common phrase is REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE and those ideas are most effective if applied in that order.

Yes, so if you really care you should stop engaging in frivolous activities such as caving.

[hank moon]

From

http://es.epa.gov/techinfo/facts/pro-act5.html

Toxicity
To determine if a waste exhibits the characteristic of toxicity, the EPA requires the waste to be evaluated using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). The procedure involves obtaining a TCLP extract and analyzing that extract for the constituents that are regulated. The criteria for determining toxicity is a comparison of the contaminant concentration in the extract with a stipulated chemical-specific regulatory limit. If the extract concentration exceeds the TCLP limit, the waste source of the extract exhibits the characteristic of toxicity and is classified as a hazardous waste.

Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., under contract to the U.S. Army Toxic and Hazardous Material Agency, conducted a study to test six battery types to ensure that the batteries are disposed of in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

The Martin Marietta study conducted a TCLP for each battery type including the alkaline battery. Aquatic bioassays(1) were also conducted to further characterize the toxicity of the battery leachates. Such tests may be required by states before the batteries can be disposed. The states of California, Washington, Minnesota, Alaska, and Rhode Island have bioassay requirements to determine if a waste is hazardous.

Results from the Martin Marietta study were reported in 1992. Tables 1 and 2 summarize the TCLP results, which concluded that the alkaline batteries tested did not exceed TCLP limits and therefore do not exhibit the characteristic of toxicity.

The aquatic bioassay analyses indicate that alkaline batteries would be classified as hazardous waste in those states which require a bioassay to characterize wastes. However, alkaline batteries disposed as household waste may be exempt from these stricter requirements. Your state regulatory authorities should be contacted to obtain a current interpretation.