Battery Disposal & Recycling
Commercial Battery Service only uses EPA-certified facilities to manage the recycling of lead-acid batteries. CBS has been recycling batteries since we started in 1977. During the 70s, the environment was not the hot-button issue it is now. Even then, over 50% of the battery was recycled. In 2023, 98%+ of the battery and its related parts will be recycled. The car you are driving or the plastic bench in your local park may have been a part of a lead-acid battery.
Government and societal pressures together necessitate the proper management of lead-containing products. When it comes to lead-acid batteries, regard for human health and the environment is a shared commitment between industry and those who distribute, collect, process and use these products.
CBS works to be an environmental steward by offering a program to accept used lead-acid batteries. The purpose is to provide a proper and safe process for recycling scrap lead-acid batteries with approved secondary recycling facilitators. By customer request, we will provide documentation (death certificate) confirming proper transport and disposal. Using this process provides our customers with documentation that exceeds regulatory requirements.
How Recycling Is Accomplished
CBS does not hold ownership in or run any recycling facility. We maintain relationships with only those secondary recycling facilities that have environmentally clean records and proper federal and state approvals.
We have vetted four facilities located here in the United States for battery recycling.
Batteries are shipped directly to the EPA-approved facility from CBS. As the need arises, CBS will temporarily store out-of-service lead-acid batteries in enclosed facilities that we maintain exclusive access to. Our procedure includes proper handling, consolidation, and packaging, thus preventing potential exposure to individuals and/or release of contaminants to the environment. All Commercial Battery Service locations are exempt from registration under RCRA. This exemption is noted in Title 40 CFR Part 266.80, Subpart G.
At this time (2025) there is no regulatory standard for documentation of scrap lead-acid battery shipments to secondary recycling facilities beyond DOT bill of lading requirements. Under our standard practices of battery recycling, CBS will maintain a general record of scrap lead-acid batteries collected and shipped to secondary recycling facilities. A documented custody record (death certificate) is available on request. We must receive the request prior to the end user’s spent batteries being sent for recycling.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about battery recycling.
