Global Recycling Day, March 18 – Lead Batteries Integral to a Green Future
18 Mar 2021
In recognition of Global Recycling Day on March 18, The Doe Run Company is sharing how lead battery recycling plays a key role in a cleaner and more sustainable future.
Lead batteries are the most recycled consumer product, with more than 99% of lead batteries recycled in a circular economy model, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In comparison, only 50% of aluminum cans, 33% of glass containers and less than 5% of lithium-ion batteries are recycled:
• Every new lead battery is comprised of more than 80% recycled material.
• Lead batteries’ recycling rate of 99% greatly reduces the use of virgin materials, a key goal of the circular economy.
• The lead from these batteries can be infinitely recycled with no loss of performance.
Each year, Doe Run’s Resource Recycling facility recycles approximately 8.5 million lead batteries and other lead bearing material, playing a vital role in keeping lead batteries from becoming waste and putting valuable lead metal back to work. Resource Recycling is one of the largest single-site lead recycling facilities in the world, making it an essential link in the modern, closed-loop recycling system.
The recyclability of lead makes lead batteries the most environmentally sustainable battery technology available. Learn more about the sustainability of lead batteries at Essential Energy Everyday.