What Happens To Your Batteries When You Recycle Them?

No matter how advanced batteries become, they still run out of energy eventually, or otherwise lose their ability to store energy safely and effectively. Batteries of all types should not be thrown into the regular trash, as their components could be hazardous if left in landfills. Instead, they can be broken down into various useful components or repurposed for less power-intensive functions. Even if they've lost some of their luster, old batteries can be used in a variety of ways.

The valuable components in the AA batteries of a remote or in the rechargeable battery of your smartphone can be put to good use on various recycling streams that have opened up over the years to take them in. You could even get a new battery that's at least partly made up of materials that were successfully pulled from old ones. These processes help to keep battery prices down while ensuring no dangerous materials or chemicals end up on the soil, where they may spark off electrical fires.

Recycling programs receive batteries of all brands from users and hardware stores like Lowe's or Home Depot, where they are sent to dedicated recycling plants. Just about any kind of battery can be recycled, from small, disposable models to rechargeable batteries used in power tools. Even damaged, swollen batteries can be recycled, though they require special storage and pickup procedures, and they shouldn't be dropped off in a bin like other batteries.

When a battery goes through the recycling process, experts take the time to look it over and determine its current safety and condition. If the battery has lost some of its power efficiency but is otherwise still safe and functional, it could be repaired or repurposed. For example, a used battery from a large truck wouldn't be able to keep powering that vehicle, but it could be used in another one or employed on a solar farm to store power.

If the battery can't do its job anymore, its remaining energy is discharged, and the object is fed into a large industrial shredder. This machine separates the battery into its base components, including electrolyte fluid, metals, and plastics. A byproduct of this process is a lump of chalky, black substance known colloquially as "black mass," which contains bits of vital cathodes and anodes. Black mass can be refined into new cathodes and anodes, which in turn can go into the making of new batteries. Research into more streamlined direct recycling procedures is ongoing; if perfected, we could preserve these vital components in full and reuse them immediately, as opposed to grinding them up and rebuilding them from scratch.