Lithium battery recycling in just six steps!

To achieve green credentials and deliver a customer promise of a caring and sustainable approach to the environment, it is essential that you recycle your lithium batteries.

Our lithium battery recycling and disposal service is part of the wider Cawleys Hazardous Services division and the team are ready to provide expert advice whenever needed. Here’s are our six steps to recycling your lithium batteries.

Step 1: Audit. Our hazardous team will carry out a full waste audit to identify your different waste streams, including battery types.

Step 2: Classification. We will ensure that all waste streams have correct European Waste Catalogue classification code and description, completing all necessary paperwork. Lithium batteries are currently classified as non-hazardous waste, but other types of batteries are hazardous materials, which if not correctly disposed of, can damage the environment.

Step 3: Collection. Once identified, we will collect lithium batteries for recycling. In normal use Lithium batteries are perfectly safe, but due to their chemistry and higher voltage per cell there are some dangers if mistreated. It’s important to have a certified waste management team, with specialist expertise, to dispose of hazardous waste.

Step 4: Transport. Despite being non-hazardous, lithium batteries must be carefully transported according to the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009.  Cawleys specialist Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor will be on hand to advise on any special precautions regarding packing and transportation.

Step 5: Recovery. We work with partners to treat lithium batteries at specialist plants. Metallurgical pyrolysis is a technique which uses ultra-high temperatures to extract base metals including cobalt, nickel and lithium.

Step 6: Closed loop cycle. Nickel and cobalt from lithium batteries have a wide variety of second life uses and are taken to a metallurgical plant for reuse. Lithium is primarily reused as an additive in the cementation industry. You will receive proof from Cawleys that recycling has taken place.

By following this process with Cawleys, you can be sure that you are taking every possible step to recycle your lithium batteries and achieving industry best green credentials. If you have any questions about recycling lithium batteries or would like a quote, please call us on 0845 260 2000 option 4 or email hazardous@cawleys.co.uk.