Lead Acid Battery Recycling, Increasingly Being Exported (to Mexico)

Over the past ten years, there has been a stunning surge in the volume of used lead acid batteries exported from the U.S. Between 2002 and 2013 U.S. exports increased a staggering 19,902%. Last year alone, U.S. companies exported 639,670 metric tonnes of batteries, with as much as 92% going to Mexico.

The impact of this exodus is two-fold. From industry's standpoint, domestic recyclers are seeing a constant erosion of their feedstock, resulting in excess capacity that endangers jobs and the survival of domestic recycling. From a broader viewpoint, it imperils Mexico's environment and the health of workers due to the country's poor track record of secondary lead smelting oversight and regulation.

While EPA's June release of a final rule restricting the export of lead-containing CRT displays offers some encouragement, it is hard to ignore the double standard. Why focus the effort on obsolete CRTs when America has more cars than people?

http://www.waste-management-world.com/articles/print/volume-15/issue-4/features/trash-talking.html