New U.S. DOT Battery Recycling and Transport Rules
Friday, January 22, 2010
In July of 2009 the United States Department of Transportation released guidelines for packaging batteries for recycling. The old guidelines stated that all batteries over 1.5 volts had to have their terminals taped or be placed in plastic bag when packaging them for transport to a recycling facility. However, new guidelines from the DOT make things easier:
The new regulations state that dry rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries with a marked rating of 9-volts or less do not have to be sealed with tape or placed separately in plastic bags to prevent battery contact. Batteries that are 9-volts or less can be left unsealed in recycling containers with batteries of the same chemistry, i.e., alkaline with alkaline, Ni-Cd with Ni-Cd, etc.
Batteries that are over 9-volts or that are not dry cell still must be sealed in a way that prevents terminal exposure.
For more detailed information, see the new U.S. DOT safety letter that specifically outlines the guidelines. And as always, feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have.
Battery recycling at LampRecycling.com is cost-effective and easy. EasyPak prepaid recycling containers are perfect for facilities with smaller amounts of batteries, while our bulk pickup service is the best option for large amounts of batteries.
posted by Aaron at
3:07 PM
This makes it clearer and the information provided here makes it easier for people who recycle. Guidelines like these are needed by the public in order to make disposing and recycling of batteries uniform. Thanks for this information.