Why There Is A Core Charge For New Batteries
Batteries are expensive in the first place. And you usually find out you need a new battery or batteries when you want to leave, and the engine won’t start. Now, to make things even more annoying you have to pay a core charge or bring back the old batteries. Most people know that a core charge is because the core of the valve, or whatever it may be is going to be reused. A battery case can’t be reused in any practical way because there are too many small differences between designs. And the lead plates have the same problem because designs change. It’s actually different with a battery. But even more important than any other part.
Breaking down the battery
The battery is actually completely recyclable. Over 98% of every returned battery gets used for something. And unlike the majority of our home recycling bins, there is a decent market value for everything that is recovered.
Plastic
The plastic case is usually of a design that is specific to a manufacturer. Also, the case likely has some damage or wear that would make it expensive to fix. Since batteries all have about the same plastic, the companies who collect them for recycling crush the cases down to pellets and use those pellets for their new molds. It’s more cost effective and consistent to recycle than to reuse.
Lead
The metal that we all know is in a battery is what most people wrongly assume is the only valuable material in the battery. There is also the old adage that a heavy battery is a better battery. Usually larger and thicker plates make for a more robust and resilient battery. This is good news if you decide to bring the battery to a scrap yard instead of getting your core charge back from wherever you bought your batteries.
Manufacturers use the lead posts and grids in a similar way to the plastic cases. The lead is melted down to ingots (metal pellets) and reused for making new lead plates. What’s great about this is that it takes away any reason not to try out new designs. Hopefully for the better.
Electrolytes
The third and last ingredient in a battery is the liquid. The liquid in batteries is a mixture of electrolytes and purified water. The electrolytes need to be separated from the battery, which is usually made easier by the fact that often electrolytes will crystallize inside the battery. There is actually a financial reason for reusing the electrolytes as well. This, however, depends on the condition they're in.
Crystallized
These crystals can be used in a few different industries. Some glass manufacturers and even textile manufacturers can need electrolytes in their product. Recycled electrolytes from a battery is a relatively simple and inexpensive form for them.
Uncrystallized
Electrolytes that haven’t crystallized may not be good for new batteries. If ever that is the case, they have to be properly disposed of. If it is still good enough quality, however, then the electrolytes can simply be used for new batteries. Relatively little needs to be done to make this happen. This makes it extremely effective.
Conclusion
There really are three main points to the fact that batteries are recyclable. Most obvious is that you get your core charge back. This often means 10-20$ in your pocket. Most often repeated is that it’s great for the environment. There is less toxic waste and less need for new raw materials. The least obvious is that the more that people hand in their cores, the more battery manufacturers can use these recycled materials instead of new materials. This helps manufacturers keep their prices down. So really everybody wins.
A lot of people tend to believe that recycling is more work than it’s worth. I hope this article helped to illustrate that this is easier and more practical than you thought.
Drive safe,
Kevin Gauthier