Household batteries: drop-off and curbside collection

Transcription

1 Household batteries: drop-off and curbside collection by Annette Du Bois and Jessie Lang Annétte Du Bois is special projects assistant for the Spokane Regional Solid Waste Disposal Project; Jessie Lang is the recycling coordinator. Using two collection strategies increases the recovery of household batteries. Household battery collection programs are one way to reduce hazardous metals in the waste stream. A 1991 EPA study, Characterization of Products Contaíning Mercury in Municipal Solid Waste, 7970 to 2000, indicated that household batteries accounted for an estimated 88 percent of the total mercury discards in municipal solid waste nationwide in This percentage is expected to decrease to 56 percent by the year 2000 as battery manufacturers gradually change product formulas. In addition to mercury, different types of batteries contain zinc, manganese, cadmium, nickel, chromium, lithium and other heavy metals. Although button cell batteries contain the highest concentration of heavy metals per battery, other batteries contain more total metals due to their larger size and greater numbers. (For an introduction to household batteries and their collection, see Household battery recycling: numerous obstacles, few solutions, in the April 1991 issue.) According to a 1990 nationwide survey conducted by Dana Duxbury & Associates, there are at least 20 communities ìn the United States that collect household batteries; Spokane County, Washington is one of only three communities known to have both drop-off and curbside collection of mixed batteries. The other two are Warren County, New Jersey and Hennepin County, Minnesota. Countywide drop-off collection of household batteries was implemented in Spokane County (population 361,000) in September 1990 so the program would be well established by the time a wasteto-energy plant began operation in September Curbside recycling collection, which includes household batteries, was implemented in the City of Spokane in October 1990 and serves almost 60,000 households. In September 1991, curb- side service provided by two private haulers was extended to an additional 33,000 urban county residents. (For a description of Spokane s recycling collection program, see Curbside recycling collection: new twists on a familiar theme in the October 1991 issue.) The Spokane Regional Solid Waste Disposal Project (an agency created by the City of Spokane and Spokane County) and the City of Spokane Solid Waste Management Department operate the battery collection program. The project Office purchases the drop-off containers, provides program administration and public education, and collects from many of the drop-off sites. The city s solid waste management department handles all storage, packing and shipping, and most of the collection within the city limits. Drop-off collection When drop-off battery collection was initiated in September 1990, 50 drop-off sites at retail stores, recycling centers and nonprofit agencies were initially recruited throughout Spokane County. The cooperation of major retail store chains simplified the process. The program now includes approximately 80 such locations. The promotional logo designed for the program introduced the Battery Man character. Drop-off locations are easily identified by flashy yellow and black Battery Man posters. The collection system itself consists of a small cardboard collection box and a four-gallon storage bucket. The collection box is divided into two compartments, one for regular batteries and one for button cell batteries. A small removable plastic container attached by Velero to the inside of the rim keeps the button cells separated in the storage bucket. Since the button cell battery container sits on the rim, the bucket lid cannot be closed, allowing for ventilation. 62 Resource Recycling February 1992

2 Spokane s household battery collection program accepts these types of dry cell batteries. done on call and requires only three to five hours per week. The collected batteries are taken to a large shed in the solid waste management yard where the batteries are kept in plastic containers. Over 500 pounds of mixed batteries are collected each month from the drop-off collection sites, or nearly 20 percent of the combined program total. Table 1 compares battery types collected at a range of drop-off locations in January It is interesting to note the high percentage of lithium batteries from the camera store and the absence of button cell batteries from the recycling center. In general, the drop-off collection sys- box will eventually be replaced with a Curbside collection tem works well and will continue to be more durable container. Weekly curbside participation averages used; however, the cardboard collection Collection from drop-off locations is 28 percent in the city of Spokane and is

3 m Table 1 - Spokane area hoosehold battery drop-off collection (1) Carbon-zinc Alkaline Nickel-cadmium Lithium Weight per business type Weight weight Weight weight Weight weight Weight weight Drug store 15 Ibs Ibs., 59 4 oz Ib., pounds 60~. 80~. Hardware store 29 pounds 18 Ibs., Ibs Camerastore 1 lb., Ibs, lb., Ibs pounds 4oz. 60~. 4oz. Electronics store 36 pounds Recycling center 43 pounds Total weight 191 pounds 24 Ibs., 80~. 26 Ibs Ibs. 17 Ibs oz. 2 3 oz Ibs., 80~. 85 Ibs. 120z. (1) One-week representative sample by business type. Source: Spokane Regional Solid Waste Disposal Project, Ibs., 4 oz. Button cell Other Weight weight Weight weight 12 oz oz lb., 2 oz. 8 oz Ibs Ibs., ll oz. 6 oz oz oz oz..22 somewhat higher in the county. About daily collection time gathering household curbside drivers each collect about percent of the bin set outs include batteries. Residents put the used bat- pounds of batteries per week, for a total household batteries. teries in a sealed plastic bag and place of approximately 720 pounds per week. According to Bob Alderson, recycling it on top of the recyclable materials in With the advent of curbside recycling supervisor for the city s solid waste de- the curbside collection bin, and the driv- collection in the urban areas of Spokane partment, the curbside recycling collec- ers place the bag of batteries into a bin County, the tonnage of collected housetion drivers spend about 1 percent of the inside their truck cab. The 12 city hold batteries will increase. The com-

4 Collected household batteries await sórting in a storage shed (1). The fruits of household battery collection as they arrie at the facility (2). Workers prepare drums of batteries for shipment to the hazardous waste landfill (3). 1 bined city and county curbside programs serve 93,000 households. Flecycling and disposal At the end of each week, the batteries are brought to a large, well-ventilated metal shed, where an employee wearing a dust mask and rubber gloves spends four to eight hours sorting and labpacking batteries. This individual is

5 n Table 2 - Spokane area household battery collectìon, curbside and drop-off (1) Weight Percent by IYe!? Number (pounds) weight Carbon-zinc 2, l Alkaline 2, Nickel-cadmium Lithium (includes coin ) Button (includes zinc-ah, mercury, silver) Other (Voltas, six-volt telephone, nine-volt electronic box, etc.) Total 6, (1) One-week sample in Spring Source: Spokane Regional Solid Waste Disposal Project, trained by the city s household hazardous waste technician; training a new employee to perform these tasks takes two hours of the technician s time. The bulk of the batteries (alkaline, carbon-zinc, lithium, and nickel-cadmium) are lab-packed for hazardous waste disposal in government-approved 30-gallon metal drums fitted with plastic liners so the batteries do not make contact with the metal drum. These precautions are taken to prevent possible buildups of hydrogen gas or mercury vapor. The batteries are packed in layers of absorbent material to keep the batteries dry and help keep them separated. The drums are not sealed until they are ready to be shipped. Each drum averages 300-plus pounds of batteries, 60- plus pounds of absorbent material and about 40 pounds of tare weight (drum, lid and ring.) In August 1991, the first 105 drums of batteries were shipped to a licensed hazardous waste landfill in Arlington, Oregon. Batteries represented over 15% tons of the 22-ton total shipment weight. (Individual drum weights will vary depending on the size and weight of the batteries packed.) Chemical Waste Management, Inc., operator of the Arlington disposal site, charged $91.85 per drum to dispose of the batteries at its landfill. This included demurrage, transportation, disposal, Oregon state waste handling tax and a one-time profiling cost. With the $300 profiling cost deducted, future shipments should cost about $89 per drum. Chemical Waste Management charges the same rate for 30- or 55-gallon drums. The drums are transponed to the Arlington site, approximately 200 miles from Spokane. Button cell batteries are collected and sorted for shipment to Mercury Refining Company (MERECO) in Albany, New York. These batteries constitute a small part of the overall program, with about 200 pounds collected during the year. The button cell batteries will be shipped to the refinery in a strong, plastic-lined cardboard box. According to MERECO, there are no special shipping requirements. There are apparently no viable recycling options for mixed batteries in the United States at this time. MERECO accepts all dry cell household batteries, but refines only the mercury and silver oxide batteries (primarily button cells) at its facility. All other dry cells sent to MERECO are buried in a hazardous waste landfill, with the exception of nickel-cadmium batteries, which are recycled at another facility. Results During the program s first year, Spokane Countycollected an average of 1% tons of household batteries per month, or a total of 21 tons. County curbside collection is expected to bring in an additional eight tons of batteries per year. Alkaline and carbon-zinc batteries account for 86.1 percent by weight of all batteries collected in both programs. Table 2 provides a breakdown of battery types by number and weight. Battery collection weights increased during the summer months, but this apparent seasonal variation could also be due to growth in a new program. In the year since the battery program was instituted, an estimated 144 pounds of mercury have been diverted from the area s solid waste stream. Monitoring heavy metal concentrations at the local waste-to-energy facility

6 n Table 3 - Spokane citylcounty household battery collection program costs Implementation costs Program research and development $ 2,880 Drop-off equipment and supplies 936 Public education 20,000 Printed materials Total $26,656 Operating costs, Oct Oct Packing equipment and supplies $ 6,597 Disposal 12,787 Operation costs (household hazardous waste technician, collecting,* sorting, administration program 17,795 Drop-off equipment and supplies (replacements) 200 Public education and printed materials Total $42,359 * Includes 1 percent of total curbside collection costs, approximately $10,000. Source: Spokane Regional Solid Waste Disposal Project, will provide information to judge the ultimate success of the program. Ash from the plant will be analyzed regularly for trace contaminants, and a three-year environmental health impact study of the waste-to-energy plant will provide a way to measure overall risks to human health and the environment. Program costs Table 3 shows the implementation costs and first-year operating costs for the battery collection program. First-year costs totaled $69,000, of which operating expenses were approximately $42,000. As the program continues to grow, costs will change. Due to an increase in the number of drop-off sites and the expansion of curbside recycling collection into urban Spokane County, the costs to collect, sort, pack and dispose of the batteries will increase somewhat. Disposal will probably continue to be the largest single cost on an annual basis. Replacing the cardboard drop-off collection boxes with sturdier plastic models will add about $500 to collection equipment replacement costs. On the other hand, used drums donated by local businesses could save over $6,000 annually in drum purchases. Summary Household battery collection programs are easily implemented and popular with the public. They are also expensive, due to high disposal costs and the lack of recycling alternatives. Only some of the button cells and nickel-cadmium batteries are recycled at this time. It cost $612 per ton (disposal costs only) to dispose of Spokane County s household batteries at the facility in Arlington. Total program cost per ton will vary with the number of tons collected, but may reach as high as $2,000. Removal of a major source of heavy metals from the waste stream carries environmental benefits that cannot be measured in dollars, however, and Spokane is committed to household battery collection. Judging by the favorable response and participation in the program, the citizens agree. RR