Lithium batteries may remain hazardous waste after being discharged because they contain ignitable solvents. The universal waste regulations allow handlers to remove electrolyte from batteries as long as the battery cell is closed immediately after electrolyte is removed, but this is not a likely management scenario for lithium batteries.
The specific obligations in relation to waste batteries depend on their type, but all require registration with the appropriate environmental regulator via the National Packaging Waste Database.
No. Shredding batteries is not an allowable waste management activity for universal waste handlers under part 273 regulations. Batteries can be shredded for recycling at a destination facility, either a hazardous waste recycler with no storage before recycling or a RCRA-permitted treatment, storage, and disposal facility.
EPA’s universal waste battery regulations do not mandate use of a uniform hazardous waste manifest or shipment using a hazardous waste transporter, but Department of Transportation regulations for shipping lithium batteries do apply.
Forecasts predict a notable escalation in battery waste, necessitating a focus on the recycling of black mass (BM)—a complex and hazardous byproduct of the battery recycling process. Employing systematic analysis, this research investigates the hazardous nature of BM derived from various battery types.
A handler of universal waste may only manage broken or damaged hazardous waste batteries as universal wastes if the breakage or damage does not constitute a breach in an individual cell casing.