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Basel Convention Press Release

GENEVA, 27 May 2002 -- The Basel Convention on hazardous wastes has finalized a set of guidelines promoting the environmentally sound recycling of spent lead-acid batteries – the largest source of secondary lead in the world.

"Since ancient times, lead has brought us great benefits but also innumerable poisonings, particularly amongst workers and children", said Executive Director Klaus Toepfer of the United Nations Environment Programme, under whose auspices the Basel Convention was adopted.

"The recycling of lead-acid batteries is one of the greatest potential sources of risk, especially for exposed workers in the informal sector in many developing countries. The safe recycling of these batteries requires strict environmental and occupational standards that can only be ensured by specialized firms, of which only a few are found in developing countries", said Klaus Toepfer of the United Nations Environment Programme.

The new Basel treaty guidelines aim to improve the management of lead-acid batteries by enabling governments to develop the necessary legislation and facilities for coping with the dramatic growth in the quantity of used batteries. They offer governments and industry a set of best practices and principles for setting up effective systems for recycling batteries. Rigorous controls, economic incentives, appropriate technologies and stable market conditions are the keys to safety.

Obtaining secondary lead from old batteries is economically attractive, cutting about 25 percent from the energy bill compared with mining primary lead. In addition, batteries are a ubiquitous product with a predictable lifetime, and the large market for recycled lead creates economies of scale. As a result, battery manufacturers rely heavily on secondary lead, most of it sourced from recycled batteries. Some of the lead recycled from batteries in the informal sector, however, does not re-enter the manufacturing sector but is used instead for other purposes, such as sinkers for fishing lines.

The 64-page guidelines describe how to collect, transport and store used batteries. They argue that the most effective approach to collection is to rely on manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and service stations to retain the old battery at the time a new one is provided to the customer. The guidelines give specifications for the storage chambers and transport facilities and describe how batteries delivered to the recycling plant should be drained of their electrolytes, identified and segregated, and stored. Finally, the recovered lead must be refined in order to remove unwanted contaminants.

The Technical Guidelines for the Environmentally Sound Management of Waste Lead-Acid Batteries have been developed by the Convention's Technical Working Group. The group will go forward for final adoption to the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP 6), scheduled for Dec. 9-13 in Geneva. "The recycling of lead-acid batteries is one of the greatest potential sources of risk, especially for exposed workers in the informal sector in many developing countries. The safe recycling of these batteries requires strict environmental and occupational standards that can only be ensured by specialized firms, of which only a few are found in developing countries", said Klaus Toepfer of the United Nations Environment Programme. The new Basel treaty guidelines aim to improve the management of lead-acid batteries by enabling governments to develop the necessary legislation and facilities for coping with the dramatic growth in the quantity of used batteries. They offer governments and industry a set of best practices and principles for setting up effective systems for recycling batteries. Rigorous controls, economic incentives, appropriate technologies and stable market conditions are the keys to safety. Obtaining secondary lead from old batteries is economically attractive, cutting about 25 percent from the energy bill compared with mining primary lead. In addition, batteries are a ubiquitous product with a predictable lifetime, and the large market for recycled lead creates economies of scale. As a result, battery manufacturers rely heavily on secondary lead, most of it sourced from recycled batteries. Some of the lead recycled from batteries in the informal sector, however, does not re-enter the manufacturing sector but is used instead for other purposes, such as sinkers for fishing lines. The 64-page guidelines describe how to collect, transport and store used batteries. They argue that the most effective approach to collection is to rely on manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and service stations to retain the old battery at the time a new one is provided to the customer. The guidelines give specifications for the storage chambers and transport facilities and describe how batteries delivered to the recycling plant should be drained of their electrolytes, identified and segregated, and stored. Finally, the recovered lead must be refined in order to remove unwanted contaminants. The Technical Guidelines for the Environmentally Sound Management of Waste Lead-Acid Batteries have been developed by the Convention's Technical Working Group. The group will go forward for final adoption to the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP 6), scheduled for Dec. 9-13 in Geneva.