Lead-acid batteries are classified as hazardous waste once they are no longer useful. This classification is due to the toxic materials they contain, which can pose environmental and health risks if not disposed of properly1. Additionally, while they are considered hazardous, they may also be managed under specific requirements for lead-acid batteries2.
A waste lead-acid battery is not hazardous waste only after it has been refurbished by a producer and is suitable for reuse. Delisting under Section 53 of the HWR is not required to refurbish lead-acid batteries. What are the rules for Producers? You are expected to assess all incoming waste lead-acid batteries immediately after receipt.
It is illegal to dispose of, or even try to dispose of, a lead-acid battery on or in any land, including landfills, lakes, streams or the ocean. Abandoning lead-acid batteries on streets and parking lots or placing them in waste dumpsters also constitutes illegal hazardous waste disposal, and can be prosecuted under state law.
Lead-acid batteries may be managed as “universal waste” under 40 CFR Part 273 or under the specific alternative standards of 40 CFR 266, Subpart G. A universal waste handler is prohibited from disposing or diluting lead-acid batteries, and must manage them in a way that prevents releases of any of their components to the environment.
The reason that spent batteries are managed as hazardous waste is that batteries can leak hazardous acid and lead if they are cracked, overturned or missing a cap. There are many sites in California where mountains of broken batteries left a legacy of highly contaminated soil and groundwater.
This guidance applies to waste automotive, industrial and portable lead acid batteries. It does not apply to other types of waste battery. The plastic cases of waste lead acid batteries may contain persistent organic pollutants (POPs). You can identify if a waste lead acid battery may contain POPs by checking: Where the battery case is made of :
Can lead-acid batteries be recycled?
Although lead-acid batteries generally exhibit the hazardous waste characteristic of toxicity for lead (D008) and would be subject to significant restrictions when discarded, the EPA encourages their recycling by providing two alternative management standards.