Battery Waste Management Authorization in India

The Battery Management and Handling Rules were adopted in 2001 with the primary purpose of ensuring the safe handling of discarded lead-acid batteries for all holders of stakes. Rules are created to adequately track and document the selling or importation of lead-acid batteries and the recall of used batteries by registered recyclers for their recycling in order to protect the environment. Improper processing and disposal of lead will result in workplace health hazards and environmental effects in the local region. Therefore, ensuring that secondary lead production is done in the facilities licensed by Central or State Pollution Control Boards in an environmentally friendly manner is important. It must be ensured that all the recycled channels are transformed into registered recycling facilities. It is also important to stop the smelting of used lead-acid batteries at the backyard which is rife in the country at present.

Responsibilities for manufacturers, importers, re-conditioners, and assemblers have been set out in the Batteries Regulations to ensure that used batteries are collected back and diverted to licensed recyclers. Responsibilities have also been placed on other holders of stakes such as retailers, recyclers, buyers, auctioneers, regulators and customs authorities.

Lead bearing wastes are produced from used lead-acid batteries, battery manufacturing industries, lead oxide manufacturers, cable companies, smelter slags and other lead-bearing scrap materials such as used lead electrodes from primary and secondary zinc processing units using electrolytic methods, lead scrap from printing presses, lead pipes, etc.

"In the 2001 Battery (Management and Handling) Regulations significant factors were removed. Battery manufacturers were responsible for recycling old batteries but they were not allowed to register their businesses. Battery dealers would be obliged to issue purchase invoices under the new regulations (when they buy used batteries). Previously, dealers had to register with state pollution control boards but there was no mention of issuing purchase invoice for old batteries,

Need for Battery Waste Management:

Batteries are hard to displace in the modern world due to their entrance into every aspect of human life. There are many heavy metals in these batteries, including cadmium, copper, arsenic, mercury, nickel, or zinc, all of which are hazardous to human health and climate. The casual disposal of spent batteries into landfills inevitably results in heavy metals and other toxic substances being percolated into the soil and water, contaminating food and water supplies and making them unhealthy for use by mankind and wildlife. The incorrect incineration results in the release into the air of certain toxic metals through stack gases or accumulation in the ash created by the method of combustion. The proper disposal of battery waste is therefore much more important than battery production; however, this is often a neglected problem, especially in developing and poor countries. The adversities created by careless disposal of spent batteries are prevented and regulated by three existing methods. There are three Rs:

• Raising,

• Recharging and

• Recycling.

The present article first examines the impact of battery waste on human health and the environment, and then focuses on strategies for controlling it.

So, battery waste management is required for protecting the environment from toxic waste which will be released after improper disposal of battery.

Who needs authorization

Every importer

Means a person who imports new lead-acid batteries or components containing lead thereof for the purpose of sale

Assembler

Means a person who manufactures lead-acid batteries by assembling various components

Re-conditioner

Means a person involved in repairing of lead-acid batteries for selling the same in the market