In the battle to fight climate change, lithium batteries are an essential piece of the puzzle to reduce carbon emissions.
People frequently point to the current methods of production of batteries as a reason to delay transitioning our transportation fleet away from fossil fuels. Often missing from the conversation is the widespread use of lithium batteries in the devices that power our lives and our responsibility to mitigate the impact of our consumer habits.
There are legitimate worries that the use of lithium batteries to replace fossil fuels for transportation comes with geopolitical, humanitarian and environmental baggage. Minerals are sourced all over the world including many places with less than ideal labor practices and or lax environmental regulations. The most widely discussed example is Cobalt which largely comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Most of the mineral refining and battery manufacturing takes place in China, although this is changing. All of these materials need to be shipped around the world using fossil fuel burning ships.
Fortunately, there are American companies pioneering the field of battery recycling who aspire to create a domestic, circular economy. Since the ingredients that go into batteries can be broken down to an elemental level, they can be recycled almost endlessly. As we improve our process of recycling battery material, we decrease the negative effects of battery production and our rechargeable devices and electric cars get greener and greener, not to mention more affordable.
While EV and hybrid batteries are almost always repurposed or recycled, we do not have such a great track record of recycling portable electronics. According to Redwood Materials (a battery recycler based in Nevada), we recycle less than 5% of the lithium containing electronics that we consume, and throw away over 150 million phones per year! We have an almost endless appetite for portable electronic devices, effectively importing battery minerals one device at a time. While the overall size of the battery in a smartphone (or any portable device) may be minuscule compared to those in electric vehicles, the percentage of cobalt is far higher and every bit helps.
If we can collectively commit to responsibly dispose of our own devices, we can have a real impact on the supply chain of battery minerals. Think for a moment about all of the rechargeable devices in your house. Headphones and bluetooth speakers, cell phones, kids toys, power tools, laptops and peripheral computer devices, even electric toothbrushes. If something is rechargeable, chances are there are valuable minerals that can be recycled at the end of its useful life. If those devices are not recycled and end up in the trash they can pose a fire risk, leach toxic material into the environment, or decompose and release greenhouse gasses.
I have committed to doing my part to bring a greener future to our children and I’m calling on all Marbleheaders to commit to the proper disposal of your own batteries. Conveniently, Staples in Vinnin Square has a consumer electronics recycling program. They will happily, and responsibly dispose of your devices; just delete any personal information and bring them in the front door to the register. If that feels like too big of an ask, please email me at marbleheadbatteryrecycler@gmail.com and I can come pick them up for you.
While fossil fuels are extracted and burned, never to be used again, there is a potential future where our cars are powered by renewables and we can nearly stop mining for battery minerals and endlessly recycle
the materials that go into the devices that we use every day. That future is a long way away, but the more obsolete devices that find their way to a recycler, the closer it becomes.
Chris Randall is a Sustainable Marblehead board member.
