Getting the lead out of the waste stream


Lead-acid batteries must be recycled to protect the environment.

By J. R. Handy

Freelance Writer

Andy Bonneau has built his business, Bonneau’s Garage located at 298 Park Street, on a foundation of environmental consciousness. Bonneau will take motor vehicle batteries from anyone even if the batteries were not originally purchased from him. He doesn’t want to see the toxic lead from lead acid batteries enter the waste stream and potentially threaten the health and well-being of area residents and the ecology.

“We always take care in ensuring the proper disposal of batteries by collecting them and seeing that they get to reclamation facilities,” said Bonneau.

According to the Battery Council International, the leading industry trade association that represents the international lead-acid battery manufacturing and recycling industry, battery lead is one of the most highly recycled materials in the country. The BCI attributes that, in part, to motorists who turn in old car, truck, motorcycle and other lead batteries when they buy new ones. A large part of that success is due to laws in 37 states, including Maine. Maine law requires retailers of lead-acid batteries to accept from customers a used battery for the one being purchased. If a used lead-acid battery is not exchanged at the time of sale, the retailer will collect a $10 deposit on the new battery.

The deposit will be returned to the customer when the customer delivers a used lead-acid battery within 30 days of the date of sale.

As Bonneau pointed out, his other concerns are those batteries that remain in abandoned garden tractors, snowmobiles, boats, cars, trucks and other vehicles that ultimately become the victim of Maine’s cold winters.

“If a battery is allowed to sit season after season the battery case eventually cracks, leaving the lead to contaminate the property and potentially the water supply,” Bonneau explained. “That’s why I encourage people to bring old batteries to a place that will take them (and) see that they are recycled,” he said.

Many car parts stores will take batteries from consumers regardless of where they were purchased. Some will even offer the consumer a small sum of money for bringing in a battery. In addition, Maine Metal Recycling on Washington Street in Auburn will receive lead acid batteries. Dave Murphy, president of Maine Metal Recycling Company, echoed Bonneau’s concern with the potential for damage to the environment.

“If you don’t provide the public with an avenue to recycle things, they will find a way to get rid of them. I take the position that it is part of our community responsibility to continue to provide an avenue for people to recycle batteries,” Murphy said.

The battery industry reclaims 97 percent of the lead from spent lead-acid batteries, using it to produce new batteries.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the recycling rate of battery lead has consistently ranked higher than other recyclable commodities. The EPA website shows the year 2000 recycling rates of other materials:

r Aluminum cans, 54.6 percent

r Glass bottles, 26.3 percent

r Paper, 45.4 percent

r Tires, 26.1 percent.

Despite high recycling rates, the amount of lead used in auto batteries is so high that non-recycled batteries account for nearly 1/3 of the lead waste stream from vehicles (more than 40,000 metric tons/year).

The amount of lead in cars is particularly significant because of its serious impact on human health, including behavioral problems and learning disabilities. Children are particularly susceptible to lead exposure, which occurs when lead dust contaminates floors, soil, or other areas in which children live or play.

“Automobiles are responsible for a majority of lead pollution in North America, or approximately 16 pounds of lead per vehicle over its lifetime” said Jeff Gearhart, report author and Clean Car Campaign Research Director for the Ecology Center.

“Investment in alternative technologies – much like FedEx is doing by introducing vehicles with lithium-ion batteries into its fleet – is critical,” said Kevin Mills, co-author of the report and director of the Clean Car Campaign at Environmental Defense. “The automotive industry can safeguard children’s health by improving vehicle design.”

Toyota and Honda have incorporated this relatively new battery technology in the 2004 model year Prius by Toyota and Honda’s vehicles that include Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries.

Both Bonneau, vice president of Bonneau’s Garage, and his brother Frank, who serves as the business’ president, were raised in a rural part of Lewiston.

In addition to getting the lead out, Bonneau’s commitment to a clean environment is evident by the heating system used at his facility. The system uses about 4,000 gallons of oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, and gear oil per heating season that comes from the many vehicles he services. He also recycles paper, glass and other commodities.

“I was born in a country setting, it was very unspoiled,” noted Andy Bonneau. “I have seen just in my lifetime a lot of changes environmentally that I don’t like and that also reflects my philosophy.”