Page 45 from: October 2012

45October 2012

is ‘entirely non-existent at the moment’. But if

such a goal is to be achieved, noted the electro-

chemical engineer, a strong partnership

between sector-related recyclers must be forged.

And so, Axeon and Oxford Brookes University

will work in tandem to mobilise various organ-

isations throughout the UK automotive supply

chain in order to bring about a ‘viable and sus-

tainable business model’ for battery recycling.

Crossing the Atlantic
According to Carl Smith, CEO of US-based

Call2Recycle, this type of collaborative spirit

encompasses a great deal of how the American

battery market is attempting to better itself.

‘Europe has a lot to offer us,’ he stated, describ-

ing the EU’s WEEE Directive as an ‘exemplary’

accomplishment.

‘The way I see it, we both export things,’ he said.

‘In our case, this is mainly films. Obviously, some

are quite good and some are quite bad. Europe,

on the other hand, exports industrial legislation.

Again, some regulations are quite good … others

are quite bad. However, no matter what happens,

I am very grateful to stay informed on EU topics

and challenges before they cross the Atlantic –

which they will sooner or later.’

At present, North America is still ‘lagging

behind’ EU recycling standards, which the Call-

2Recycle CEO attributed largely to lack of

capacity. ‘There are only eight recyclers avail-

able to us, with facilities all skewed to the upper

Midwest,’ he noted. ‘What’s worse, given the size

of the nation, most of them are more than a

2500-mile drive away, adding to the dilemma.’

The total volume that this small group of proc-

essors can handle is ‘meagre compared with

their European counterparts’, added Mr Smith,

voicing concern over the anticipated surge in

the volumes due to population growth. ‘If we

are to maintain the 25% collection target, for

instance, a minimum of 43 575 tonnes will have

to be processed every year. This leaves a great

disparity with our current state of affairs, as it

results in a shortfall of almost 9000 tonnes.’ If

the 47% of US residents who claim to recycle

should rocket as a result of promotional efforts

emphasising the need for a greener society, a

satisfying end-game will drift even further out

of sight.

Catch-22
Doubting that batteries will be able to find suf-

ficient accommodation within America, Mr

Smith feared that shipping bulk amounts to

Europe might be the only way to overcome the

battery problem. ‘It may seem odd, but exporting

our batteries to a smelter in, let’s say Belgium, is

much cheaper and faster,’ he said. ‘You see, we

could look at it as a Catch-22 sort of situation or

the age-old chicken-or-the-egg question; proc-

essers don’t want to expand their capacity unless

they’re absolutely sure they are going to get more

batteries. But obviously, they aren’t going to get

any more batteries unless there is sufficient

capacity to handle them in the first place.’

Keen to see an evolution in the North American

market, Mr Smith said he knows it is best to

look in the direction of policy-makers rather

than engineers. ‘Lithium-ion batteries, as we all

know, are booming, yet there are no require-

ments for these with regard to either collection

or recycling in the whole of the US – right now,

the only exception is Canada,’ he pointed out

to delegates. ‘The reason for this is that EV mar-

ket growth is much, much slower over here.

There are virtually no electric cars in the US.’

Therefore, Mr Smith is thrilled to see more

positive signs on the radar. ‘We are finally

beginning to catch up now, especially in terms

of legislation,’ he said. ‘North America has

already responded to the new European collec-

tion targets by voluntarily implementing the

same objective. Additionally, an all-battery col-

lection programme is scheduled to be launched

in 2013.’ The CEO added that, though waste

management is determined on a regional and

state level only, this will witness a massive

makeover. ‘There is no nationwide battery

directive in effect yet, but I think it isn’t too far

away from becoming reality,’ he asserted.

Hazardous … or not?
During the delegate visit to DELA GmbH’s facil-

ity in Dorsten, Germany, a particular question

stirred the gathering. While explaining the

activities of its battery sorting and treatment

centre, the DELA representative heard a man’s

voice from the corner of the meeting-room table

ask: ‘In Germany, spent batteries do not fall in

the hazardous waste category, do they?’ Upon

receiving confirmation of what he already sus-

pected, the man – who later introduced himself

as Bill Rock of C. D. Dodd Scrap Metal Recyclers

in Australia – said he could only dream of this

being the case in his home market.

In fact, Australia remains confronted by a steep

lack of recycling capacity due to the persistent

hazardous status (according to the Hazardous

Waste Act 1989) of used rechargeable batteries.

The reason for this may appear simple but has

Carl Smith:

‘Most US recyclers are
more than a

2500-mile drive away.’

B A T T E R Y R E C Y C L I N G

Despite ongoing technological devlopments, there are virtually no electric cars on US roads at the moment.

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