Foreign experience in processing used finger-type batteries. Technological process for recycling batteries. Benefits of recycling

Take any battery and look carefully. Do you see the drawing of a container with a cross on it? It is not difficult to guess that this is how we are informed about the prohibition of throwing this item into a regular trash can. What if you throw it away? Unfortunately, even she will poison you with harmful substances 20 square meters land or 400 liters of water.

IN modern life one average Russian family uses up to half a kilogram of batteries per year. In a medium-sized city, a ton or two accumulates annually, and in a metropolis - up to several tons of used batteries and accumulators.

Not all people know why batteries should not be thrown in the trash. While each of them is a combination of metals and chemicals, often poisonous and dangerous to all living things. Most often used in the production of batteries:

1. Nickel and cadmium. Both of these heavy metals are toxic. Water and crops grown on land poisoned by cadmium can cause skeletal deformation, lung or kidney dysfunction, and even malignant tumors in humans.
2. Zinc. Zinc salts have a burning effect and can damage the skin and mucous membranes. Poisoning big amount zinc intake can result in pulmonary edema, disruption of the heart and circulatory system.
3. Lithium. Has low toxicity. However, recycling lithium batteries also requires a special approach, since this element is capable of self-ignition when reacting with atmospheric oxygen or moisture, which can cause a fire.
4. Mercury. Mortal danger represent her couples. They are very poisonous and can lead a person to severe illness, dementia and even death.
5. Silver oxide. Not toxic.
6. Lead. In case of poisoning, it affects the brain, bones, liver and kidneys. Particularly dangerous for children. There are specific cases of high child mortality from mass lead poisoning in Nigeria and Sinegal. The cause was lead contamination of the soil due to improper recycling of batteries and accumulators.
7. Cobalt. Excess cobalt can cause auditory neuritis, enlarged thyroid gland, dermatitis, allergies, and heart problems in humans.

In terms of the level of danger to humans, cadmium, mercury, lead, zinc are classified as class 1 (especially dangerous), cobalt and nickel are classified as class 2. Even seemingly insignificant poisoning with these substances can pose a serious threat to his health and life.

What happens to battery-powered devices that we carelessly throw in the usual trash bin?

How to dispose of batteries safely? The answer is very simple and obvious: under no circumstances “just throw it away”! They must definitely go to a specialized enterprise that professionally deals with their disposal.

Features of the technological process

Completely environmentally friendly battery recycling technology – current problem for the whole world. Unfortunately, even in advanced countries, these recycling processes are still far from being completely environmentally friendly.

According to statistics, in the world only 3% of the total volume of battery devices produced gets a second life. Of course, the situation is radically different in different countries. For example, in Australia, recycling and disposal accounts for almost 80% of the country's total, in the USA - about 60%.

Much attention is paid to obsolete batteries in Europe. As a rule, you can return batteries for recycling at many large shopping centers countries of the European Union, special containers for collection are installed there. In addition, by returning old batteries, the consumer receives a discount on the purchase of a new similar product.

In Russia, just a few years ago, environmentally friendly battery recycling was practically non-existent. Recycling batteries is possible only at specialized enterprises, but as a business this type of activity was unprofitable: the process itself was more expensive than the subsequent sale of the resulting raw materials.

As a result, there was a small number of companies in the country engaged in the collection and storage of these specific products. But batteries were recycled for money. That is, not only do you need to find such an enterprise, you also need to pay out of your own pocket. How much does it cost to recycle batteries? It turns out that it’s not so little: today it’s about 100 rubles per kilogram.

Volunteers who were ready to collect battery waste from the public for free faced other tangible difficulties. For example, in 2004, IKEA began collecting by organizing collection points in its stores, but this process had to be stopped due to the requirements of Rospotrebnadzor. The K.A. Timiryazev State Biological Museum accepted battery mini-devices for storage for some time, but the available tanks were quickly filled.

Fortunately, today the situation is beginning to change. Since 2013, a battery recycling plant has been operating in Chelyabinsk. This is where waste batteries from all over the country are currently supplied. Its technologies, according to Greenpeace representatives, make it possible to recycle batteries and accumulators by 80%. The recycling plant actively cooperates with enterprises that are ready to take on the functions of collecting hazardous waste from the population. However, there are still many problems in this issue of recycling in the country.

There are different technologies for working with hazardous recyclables.

For example, lead extraction occurs in several steps:

1. The batteries are loaded into a concrete well equipped with an electromagnet on top and a grid on the bottom.
2. The magnet attracts excess metal, and electrolytes flow through the mesh into a separate container.
3. The bulk is crushed by a crusher into small pieces.
4. Water dust under high pressure carry out separation of materials: separately small parts with plastic and large pieces.
5. Large parts are then transferred to a special container with caustic soda, where everything eventually turns into lead paste.
6. Lead paste is melted in a separate bunker.
7. As a result of smelting, hard and soft lead is obtained, as well as its alloys according to specific orders. Finished lead ingots are not inferior in quality to those just produced from lead ore.

Cadmium extraction is carried out by two main methods:

1. Hydrometallurgical (using ammonia, sulfuric acid and saline solutions). With a high degree of environmental friendliness, this method gives a low degree of cadmium extraction.
2. Pyrometallurgical, for example, vacuum distillation. Production from high degree environmental hazard. The resulting cadmium oxide is of low quality.

Unfortunately, there are no universal and completely environmentally friendly methods with high profitability yet. But science is constantly looking for new ways to solve problems.

What to do with used batteries?

Obviously, you simply cannot take the issue of how to properly dispose of batteries lightly.

What should the average consumer do? Where to dispose of hazardous waste, where can you take it quickly and without much time and money?

Fortunately, today there are options.

1. In many cities, volunteers and environmental activists collect batteries for recycling on their own. During the campaign, they either go around houses or set up points where batteries are collected.
2. There are special containers on sale specifically for storing outdated battery mini-devices at home. They are hermetically sealed with a removable lid, allowing you to refill at any time. This way, you can store used batteries at home for a long time until you have the opportunity to recycle them.
3. Today, many electronics stores that have entered into an agreement with a recycling company already accept batteries for recycling. For this purpose, special collection containers are located in the salons. If you don’t see such a container, ask the sellers, perhaps they know where the nearest one is located in your area.
4. Joined the acceptance of old devices in exchange for the purchase of new ones big business for sale household appliances– retail chains whose retail stores are located in almost any big city Russia. The list of accepted goods also includes batteries. By handing them over, you will receive a bonus in the form of a significant discount on the purchase of new goods.

In many developed countries The question of whether it is possible to throw batteries in the trash has been resolved at the legal level. Garbage collectors, having discovered hazardous waste, say, in ordinary food waste, they will simply fine the house management, and they, in turn, will find and punish the offender. The population is well informed where to dispose of batteries and other hazardous waste. There are fines for both manufacturers and large electronics stores for not having battery collection points where batteries should be handed over to the public centrally.

Of course, in Russia there is no such control yet. But each of us, personally, is quite capable of treating environmental problems meaningfully and responsibly. After all, the earth, air and water are common, and we all equally need a clean and safe environment.

The issues of collection, disposal and recycling of used batteries and accumulators are extremely relevant at the present time. Disposal of this waste is one of the most difficult problems in recycling. Almost all batteries contain toxic substances in the form of various metals and chemicals, which, when battery cases are destroyed, enter natural environment. In the production of batteries, lead, nickel, cadmium, zinc, mercury, silver oxide, cobalt, and lithium are used. Nickel-cadmium batteries, which are used in cell phones, are the most significant potential sources of cadmium; Mercury and lithium batteries pose a great danger as suppliers of mercury and lithium to the natural environment; In addition, lithium can spontaneously react with oxygen in the air and ignite.

Battery recycling is the process of recovering and using the materials from which batteries are made. During this process, metals are removed from the batteries, which are then reincorporated into new products. The goal of this process is to conserve energy and raw materials. Recycling such products helps preserve the environment for healthy human life.

Today, there is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective technology that would allow the recycling of exhausted batteries to produce products of proper quality does not exist.

For example, pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods are used to extract cadmium. Vacuum distillation is the most widely used pyrometallurgical method based on the distillation of gaseous cadmium compounds. In addition to the extreme environmental hazard of this production, distillation is characterized by the production of low quality cadmium oxide and secondary waste, the use of which in other industries is problematic.

World experience in processing cadmium-containing waste has shown the promise of hydrometallurgical methods, mostly based on the use of solutions of sulfuric acid, ammonia, and salt compositions. The use of hydrometallurgical operations will allow us to decide how ecological problems for the disposal of cadmium-containing waste, and to meet the needs of mechanical engineering and metallurgy for high-quality cadmium oxide.

The disadvantages of the sulfuric acid method are: low degree of cadmium extraction due to its loss with iron-containing middlings, technological difficulties in purifying industrial solutions. The use of ammonia is limited by its volatility and the difficulty of regeneration.

The recycling and recycling process for batteries and accumulators usually involves several steps. For example, the lead recovery process for batteries consists of four steps.

First, batteries and accumulators are loaded into a special container large sizes, from where they fall along a conveyor belt into a concrete well with an electromagnet above it (which attracts excess scrap metal) and with a mesh bottom, where the electrolyte from the “leaked” batteries flows into a special container, after which the batteries are crushed into small pieces by a crusher.

Then the process of separation of materials occurs using water spray supplied at high pressure - several tens of atmospheres. The smallest parts and plastic are deposited in a separate tank for later concentration, and the larger parts fall to the bottom of the tank, from where a mechanical bucket pulls them into a tank of caustic soda, where this scrap metal is turned into lead paste. At the same stage, lead dust also gets there, which, using water supplied under high pressure, is separated from the plastic, which is collected in separate containers.

The third stage is the lead smelting process. The resulting lead paste is transferred via a conveyor belt to a smelting bunker, where it is melted to a liquid state, and the released vapors are quickly cooled and discharged into separate containers (later it will go to the next stage of processing).

The fourth step in the refining process is the formation of two components - refined hard and soft lead and lead alloys that meet customer requirements. The alloys are immediately sent to factories for use, and the refined lead is heated and poured into ingots, removing scale, which are equivalent in quality to those freshly mined from lead ore.

Summer 2013 English company International Innovative Technologies has introduced a new technology for recycling used batteries. The method involves turning the solid elements contained in the inside of an alkaline battery into powder. Thus, the internal components of batteries become suitable for treatment using various chemical and biological processes, which results in the extraction of various metal ions, such as zinc, manganese and carbon ions.

One of the benefits of this technology is that it can easily replace traditional grinding systems with compact, high-performance units. Besides, new development features low energy consumption and is ideal for grinding hard materials.

Russia's first battery recycling line was launched in Chelyabinsk; used batteries will be brought here from all over the country. Watch the video to see how iron, graphite and salts are obtained from batteries.

Of the total volume of batteries and accumulators produced in the world, only 3% of the total volume is recycled, and there is heterogeneity in this indicator across countries. Yes, in the majority European countries 25-45% of all chemical current sources (CHS) are recycled, in the USA - about 60% (97% lead-acid and 20-40% lithium-ion), in Australia - about 80%. Countries with an undeveloped system for processing chemical chemicals are developing countries, where they are practically not processed, but are disposed of with household waste.

Battery recycling in countries European Union is mandatory. Since September 26, 2008, all batteries, accumulators and their packaging must be marked with a special symbol (crossed out wheelie bin) - on the battery itself or on the packaging, depending on the size.

This special collection symbol informs consumers that batteries should not be disposed of in household waste. Instead, batteries should be taken to special recycling centers. As a rule, all major retailers have battery collection boxes.

When batteries are produced in the European Union, their price initially includes a percentage for recycling, and the buyer in the store, having returned the old batteries, will receive a price discount on new batteries. The donated items are recycled. The leader in this process is Belgium, where up to 50% of batteries are sent for recycling.

All types of batteries produced in Europe can be recycled, regardless of whether they are rechargeable or not. For recycling purposes, it does not matter whether the battery is charged, partially discharged, or completely discharged. Once the batteries are collected, they are sorted and then, depending on what type they are, the batteries are sent to the appropriate recycling plant. For example, alkaline batteries are recycled in the UK, and nickel-cadmium batteries are recycled in France.

There are about 40 companies involved in battery recycling in Europe.

In the US, in the spring of 2013, a new volunteer nationwide campaign for battery recycling was launched. In addition to directly addressing consumers and attracting volunteers, it is planned to implement a number of measures that will fundamentally change the work of companies producing batteries. Distributors and sellers will be required to ensure that batteries are collected and recycled, removing all components that can still be used during recycling, and battery manufacturing companies will have to pay for the collection, processing and disposal of batteries.

In Australia, 70 thousand tons of lead-acid car batteries are recycled annually. In Wollongong, New South Wales, Auszinc operates a company that recycles household batteries. Batteries that cannot be recycled in Australia are exported to European facilities for recycling.

Until recently, in Russia there were only companies that collected and stored batteries. Recycling was expensive and not profitable.

Official activities for the acceptance and use of batteries legal entities was allowed since 2012 - before that for collection and storage hazardous waste a special license was required. In 2004, IKEA began collecting used batteries, but was forced to stop due to requirements from Rospotrebnadzor. The Timiryazev Museum, which has been accepting batteries since 2009, has suspended acceptance of raw materials due to a lack of space to store batteries.

The Megapolis Group company accepts and transfers batteries of all types for recycling.

One of the few organizations that accepts batteries for full further processing is the Moscow Ecocenter of the Moscow State Unitary Enterprise Industrial Waste, where they use vacuum technology that allows them to control harmful emissions when shredding batteries.

In April 2013, the Chelyabinsk company Megapolisresurs also announced its readiness to recycle used batteries from all over the country. The company's technology makes it possible to process alkaline batteries by 80%.

However, there are not enough raw materials to start a large-scale battery recycling process.

"Megapolisresurs" is a partner in the project for the reception of used products in Moscow stores of the Media Markt chain. household batteries and batteries, which will start in the fall of 2013, and from the beginning of 2014 the initiative will spread throughout Russia. As batteries accumulate, they will be packaged in sealed containers in Chelyabinsk. Substances extracted from batteries during processing (graphite, zinc and manganese salts) can later be used both to create new batteries and in other industries, in particular in pharmaceuticals.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Removal, processing and disposal of waste from hazard classes 1 to 5

We work with all regions of Russia. Valid license. A complete set of closing documents. Individual approach to the client and flexible pricing policy.

Using this form you can leave a request for services, request Commercial offer or get a free consultation from our specialists.

Send

Batteries are an inexpensive power source that has wide application. They are used in remote controls, watches, portable electronics, digital technology and even children's toys. Batteries must be disposed of in accordance with sanitary standards, that is, in a specialized container. Each product is marked with a sign that it should not be thrown away with normal household waste. According to the most conservative estimates, every family has at least 1 dozen food sources.

Battery types

AA batteries They look quite harmless. Even their small size makes it doubtful that recycling used batteries is a necessary measure. To understand what is dangerous about these miniature power sources, as a result of which the recycling of batteries is a serious problem today, you should take a closer look at their structure and chemical composition.

The battery housing is absolutely safe. It is made of metal, which completely insulates the contents as long as the shell does not corrode. Interior and there is a receptacle for dangerous chemical elements, which can be neutralized by recycling batteries. Each of them has an anode - zinc powder, which is impregnated with an electrolyte, and a cathode - magnesium dioxide mixed with titanium dioxide.

Products are classified depending on the electrolyte:

• Salt
• Alkaline (alkaline)
• Lithium
• Silver
• Mercury

Batteries can be made of various materials, but they contain at least 10 highly toxic chemical elements and dissolved heavy metals - lithium, mercury, lead, cadmium. Disposal of lithium and mercury power supplies into waste bins is absolutely unacceptable.

The question of why batteries should not be thrown away with household waste is so relevant for a reason. One miniature AA battery contaminates an area of ​​20 m² of soil. Chemicals not only pollute the soil, they seep into groundwater, evaporate in the air and gradually poison not only nature, but also the human body. In order not to pay for carelessness own health, batteries must be taken to a waste battery collection point.

Why shouldn't you throw away used batteries?

It was already noted above why batteries are dangerous - due to their chemical composition. If the question arises of how to store batteries, the answer is clear - pack it tightly and take the used product to a collection point as soon as possible. To complete the picture, we should describe in detail the two main ways of poisoning nature that affect humans:

1. Over time, the capacity of the element decomposes, which leads to the release of toxic substances into the environment, that is, into the soil and air. And through it, harmful components enter groundwater, and then into reservoirs, from where the liquid flows into our homes.
2. Yes, in landfills, batteries are burned, but the smoke containing dioxins does not disappear anywhere; it ends up in the air. All plant and animal world absorbs this smoke, and through them the poison enters the human body.

All poisons that enter the human body can cause severe cancer:

• Pathologies of the brain and central nervous system
• Tumors
• Deformation of the respiratory system
• Diseases of the kidneys and genitourinary system

It is worth noting the fact that since the active use of lithium batteries, the number of diseases in the field of oncology has almost doubled according to the results of 2010. It is difficult to say whether this is a coincidence or not, but the fact remains a fact.

The conclusion from the above is that the battery should not be thrown into landfills for household waste. You don’t know what to do with used power supplies: they need to be taken to a battery collection point, from where they will never be released into the external environment again.

Reception point and its structure

Complete recycling of batteries in Russia, or rather a place where batteries could be sent for recycling to obtain raw materials that are suitable for reuse, became available not so long ago. In our country, only one enterprise fulfills this mission - Chelyabinsk plant for the processing of lithium batteries "Megapolisresurs". A battery collection container can be found in many electronics stores and supermarkets that have entered into an agreement with the factory.

Lately you can often find a reception point organized by social movement, that is, places where anyone can come and recycle a used battery.

Megapolisresurs

The largest collection point in Russia, where all used batteries are sent for recycling. The organization was founded in 2004, but the company began directly recycling batteries only in October 2013. To begin recycling batteries, the plant had to change its own technology for processing electronic waste.

The developers note that the efficiency of their invention reaches almost a maximum of 80%, which is 20% better than abroad. For example, in Germany the recycling efficiency does not exceed 60%. Currently, the company cooperates with many large retail chains, installing collection bins in stores, and even has its own points in 24 cities of Russia. Each network has its own small battery collection point.

In 2013 the following was revised:

• Photo of waste - 1 million tons
• - 500 tons
• Batteries - 3 tons

But Megapolisresurs is not going to stop there. Already in 2014, the organization attracted investments of more than 500 million rubles and is now organizing a full-fledged line for recycling spent batteries.

Various public organizations are also involved in the problem of environmental protection. They create a collection point, a special bin is installed in the courtyards, from where the recycled elements are subsequently sent to a battery recycling plant. Anyone can do something useful by installing a collection box in their entrance or at work. In this way, you not only show concern for the state of the environment, but also do everything possible to improve it.

Disposal procedure

With the opening of the recycling line at the Chelyabinsk plant, the question of how to properly dispose of power supplies can be considered partially resolved. Of course, on the scale of our country, just one plant is very small. But now there is confidence that recycling batteries will make it possible to neutralize at least part of the used batteries and direct the resulting resources to production needs.

How batteries are recycled - main steps:

1. Manual sorting allows you to distribute products according to their type
2. The container line delivers batteries to the crusher, where they are crushed
3. The resulting raw material falls under a magnetic tape, which separates the large elements of the metal case.
4. The remaining part is subjected to repeated crushing and iron separation
5. The resulting mass contains an electrolyte and requires a neutralization process
6. As a result of hydrometallurgical technologies, raw materials are separated into individual components and packaged.

Not all batteries are recycled. Some are subject to disposal at landfills. The country retains a large number of batteries that are thrown into trash cans and then into landfills.

Opening a business based on recycling environmentally harmful waste is quite difficult due to the low development of this industry. Recycling requires significant financial investments, which are not reimbursed by the subsequent sale of recyclable materials, so battery recycling requires government funding.

Foreign experience in recycling batteries

In the European Union, the question of where batteries should be disposed of is not raised. Containers for batteries are located in all stores and institutions. The cost of new batteries initially includes a certain percentage, taking into account recycling, and when purchasing new products, the buyer can count on a discount if they hand over the old ones. In total, there are at least 40 recycling plants in Europe that recycle up to 45% of all chemical food sources.

• In the USA, there is a collection point where you can throw away used batteries at every store that sells them. The collection and processing of elements is the responsibility of sellers and distributors of the relevant products, and manufacturers are required to finance all necessary activities. The amount of batteries recycled annually in the United States is up to 60%.
• The most developed in Japan effective method recycling, so the batteries are currently being stored in warehouses in compliance with safety requirements.
• Australia has the highest rate of battery recycling - the amount of recycled batteries reaches 80%. Products that local businesses are unable to recycle themselves are sent to Europe.

Batteries are harmful to the environment. That is why some entrepreneurs are rushing to master this area and open profitable business. However, in Russia there are no appropriate conditions and state support for proactive citizens. We can only hope that in the near future the recycling and collection of batteries will become widespread. new level.

Almost all modern portable equipment runs on the energy of AA batteries. Of course, this is very convenient: such a source of electricity is very compact, inexpensive and versatile, because it has standard sizes and shapes. But at the same time, AA batteries are attracting increased attention in all civilized countries of the world - both from users and from manufacturers. Why? The fact is that every battery, even the smallest one, contains in its design a whole range of chemical elements, which are commonly called heavy metals. These include mercury, lead, cadmium, and some other minerals. When batteries are used for their intended purpose, they perform their physical and chemical function. But after a used battery ends up in a landfill and begins to decompose there along with other waste, heavy metals begin to poison the biosphere.

Why you shouldn't throw away batteries
Humanity, even modern stage development of technology, sometimes reminds small child or a teenager: having received an attractive toy, he uses it without thinking about the consequences (cleaning, breakdown, costs). AA batteries are really practical, but how many people think about what to do with them after they have been used? energetic resources are they running out? If you look closely, there is a drawing on the surface of the battery case and on each package. special sign, depicting a crossed out trash can. This means that a product marked with this symbol should never be thrown away with regular garbage; instead, it must be recycled. Now admit it, do you adhere to this requirement?..

Out of sight, out of mind: when we get rid of a used battery, we immediately forget about it and its composition. Meanwhile, chemical processes do not depend on our thoughts and/or desires and continue naturally. In case of batteries caught in garbage dump, there are two main ways of environmental poisoning:

1. The battery casing decomposes and toxic substances enter the soil, then into The groundwater and reservoirs, rivers, seas. From these reservoirs water comes into our homes, we drink it, give it to children and use it for hygienic purposes. Fish and other marine life accumulate poisons in their bodies, which we also eat. To put it simply, we voluntarily poison our body with heavy metals.
   
2. Batteries in landfills and incineration plants They burn along with the garbage, but the smoke from them not only smells bad, but contains so-called dioxins. These compounds, tens of times more toxic than cyanide, penetrate into the air, and then into water, soil, plants, animal meat and, consequently, into the human body.
   

Very small amounts of heavy metals and their compounds are enough to increase the incidence of cancer and congenital pathologies in humans. One battery poisons about 20 square meters of land around it, but how many of them are thrown away around the world? The CIS countries are especially guilty of such careless relations. By scattering batteries and allowing them to decompose in the biosphere, their inhabitants doom themselves and the whole world to:

• nervous disorders, brain diseases;
  
• swollen;
  
• diseases of the kidneys and the genitourinary system;
  
• thyroid diseases, metabolic disorders;
  
• mutations in the respiratory system, hearing and vision impairment.
  

In addition, bone, cartilage and muscle tissue, and all organ systems without exception, are affected. Moreover, children are most susceptible to poisonous effects: they often get sick, develop slowly, and grow up weak. Although heavy metal salts accumulate in the liver, kidneys and tissues of people of all ages.

What to do with batteries
In different countries of the world, mainly Western and Japan, close attention is paid to battery recycling. Used batteries are collected, sorted and disposed of at specialized enterprises (there are more than 40 of them in Europe alone). Moreover, for different types of batteries (salt, alkaline, lithium, etc.) different processing technologies are used, and subsequently their raw materials are used in production. As for Russia and neighboring countries, such a practice is still in its infancy. Today, enthusiasts are creating battery collection points and promoting their proper disposal. To join this laudable initiative, you can follow these simple instructions:

1. Start by saying that the next time you remove a dead battery from the remote control or player, do not throw it in the trash, but wrap it in paper or a bag and set it aside separately so that you can later return it to the special item battery acceptance.
   
2. By your own example, you can contribute to the development useful habit Do not throw away batteries from your friends and/or neighbors. To do this, simply install a box in your own entrance into which they can put batteries. Place a small announcement nearby explaining what, why and why you expect from others.
   
3. Place the box (or plastic bottle) for collecting batteries so that direct impacts do not fall on it. Sun rays and its contents were not heated by the radiator.
   
4. Post a notice on the ground floor, in the hallway, or on the front door so that neighbors can know about your initiative. Find communities of people doing the same thing on social Internet networks and notify them about additional opportunity collecting batteries.
   
5. If your city has public battery containers, dispose of them there periodically. If not, wait until you have a few of them (or set a regular date, for example, once a month) and take them to a battery collection point. The addresses of such points in different cities are easy to find on the Internet.
   
6. Most likely, it will not be possible for each individual person to take every single or pair of batteries to a collection point, so become a volunteer at least on the scale of your apartment, entrance, house.
   

At the same time, do not forget that the box for collecting batteries is not the final point of their movement to recycling and you need to ensure their transportation to the collection point, and then to processing plant. There they are sorted, disassembled, and separated into fractions under the influence of a magnet. Iron and other metals are crushed and processed separately. All processes related to the disposal of power sources are very dangerous, therefore they are mechanized as much as possible, and workers in factories use masks and protective clothing. The metal salts extracted from the batteries are eventually packaged and sent to those factories that use them in their own production processes. There are few such enterprises and their operation is very expensive, but their importance cannot be overestimated. Don’t ignore the importance of recycling batteries and take part in preserving the environment and your own health as much as possible.