Specialized recyclers and processors are working full tilt to quell the deluge of spent batteries flooding the waste stream and to extract their critical metals for reuse. Now some major retailers have joined the battery recovery effort. One of them is big box giant Staples.
The national chain takes back consumers’ batteries in all 1,000 of its stores. The program just launched in spring of 2024, and Staples will not yet release figures showing how collections are going.
But Brian Coupland, senior vice president of merchandising Staples U.S. Retail, says with its nationwide footprint the corporation will bring in millions of batteries otherwise likely headed for landfill. At the same time this new offering is turning out to be good for business.
Customers can have their old single-use (alkaline) and rechargeable batteries recycled for free. And they are rewarded for their participation. Shoppers come in with their batteries and leave with coupons and store credits simply for dropping off their discards
“The first time a customer experiences how easy and convenient the process is, they become repeat recyclers. We’ve seen them return more frequently—not only to recycle but to take advantage of our other services and shop for products,” says Coupland.
The program is working well for recycling partner ERI too.
“Working with a nationwide retailer, we can ensure a single, consistent program throughout the country, as opposed to more localized models that often vary when you cross city, county, or state lines,” says John Shegerian, co-founder and CEO, ERI.
“By partnering with Staples, we have increased consumer accessibility to battery recycling, diverting hazardous waste from landfills and preventing environmental contamination,” he says.
Shegerian’s company stood ready for the incoming loads, with eight battery recycling facilities nationwide and relationships with vendors who extract the critical minerals.
Getting these combustible materials to the plants safely can be challenging. In answer ERI has a system enabling batteries to be comingled in a single drum using “firesafe” technology, reducing risks during collection and transport.
Retailers also start with some infrastructure in place; it’s helping them streamline the process. They have a built-in network facilitating the movement of goods from manufacturer, to distribution center, to stores.
That same distribution network can move from point to point in reverse, ultimately delivering truckloads of batteries from retail location to plants for demanufacturing.
Still there is plenty that has yet to be put in place. For Staples, the first task was learning how to onboard consumers.
“There is a lot of confusion around battery recycling in America. Many people aren’t aware that batteries can be recycled, leading to billions of them being thrown away each year,” says Coupland.
And depending on where they live, they have limited to no access to recycling options.
The corporation went to the consumers themselves to figure out how to make the program work, interviewing them and conducting survey panels to understand their challenges and plan ways around them.
“Our customers gave us the playbook for a successful battery recycling program. One of the most important things they told us was that it needed to be easy and convenient to collect and drop off batteries, which is how we decided to offer recycling in all stores, every day, all year.
“They also told us it would be nice to have an incentive,” says Coupland.
Customers can earn credit once a month for recycling, redeemable in stores or online.
ERI processes the alkaline batteries in-house. The main materials produced are zinc and manganese, which today serve as nutrients for the agriculture industry’s crops. Other batteries move on to downstream partners who extract cobalt, nickel, and lithium—critical minerals that go into new technology, EV batteries, and energy storage.
More retailers with more battery types are showing interest in collection programs, from businesses that focus on large-format batteries like those that power e-bikes and scooters to auto shops and EV companies also looking to leverage their retail networks to collect batteries. ERI is already working with some of them though focuses more on the smaller format batteries that tend to pile up fast in households.
While Staples’ battery recycling program is new, its partnership with ERI is long-standing, dating back 15 years. That’s when the retailer began sending discarded electronics the company’s way. Customers bring any brand of office technology, regardless of where they purchased it, to stores for free recycling.
As a retailer who built its brand around a sweeping inventory of products, deciding which ones to take back took thought.
“We want to ensure that we’re offering recycling solutions for real, impactful problems in the market,” says Coupland.
The decisions hinge on the answers to three questions:
Can the items be recycled responsibly? Is there enough volume that it would make a real difference? Are there limited or no existing recycling options available for these items?
“If we can check all three boxes and feel confident that we can safely handle and process these items, they become strong candidates for a new recycling program,” he says.
Hoping to boost recovery rates, some industry players are working to develop best practices for electronics and battery recyclers, including retailers. This is an ongoing focus of the National Center for Electronics Recycling
“It is important to establish safe management guidelines for all collectors, particularly for batteries, to manage risks of thermal events,” says Jason Linnell, executive director, National Center for Electronics Recycling.
The group’s members are focusing on separation of devices and proper labeling of containers.
“More education is needed on topics like these, as well as identifying and managing damaged batteries or battery-containing devices,” says Linnell.
Collectors, recyclers, and processors have their work cut out for them. If the trajectory stays the same, another 3 billion batteries will be tossed this year, and the push to slow the flow is strengthening.
So far, 11 states have introduced extended producer responsibility bills, mostly targeting batteries. This year should be a busy one for electronics recycling in general. Legislators across the country have already introduced over 20 new bills aiming to clamp down on e-waste.
