by Pa Recycling Markets Center
Over 1,000 Pennsylvania residents throughout the Commonwealth, including Environmental Justice communities, recently completed a survey developed by the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center to gauge their awareness of battery recycling options as well as the special challenges posed by the disposal of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. The survey was collaboratively managed and delivered by the Penn State Harrisburg Center for Survey Research.
Key findings of the Pennsylvania rechargeable battery survey respondents include:
Although 53.2% of the survey respondents do not believe it is safe to place rechargeable and lithium-ion batteries in the trash, 43.0% of respondents reported they place rechargeable batteries in their trash, with an additional 11.8% of respondents reporting they place the rechargeable batteries in their recycling bin.
85.0% of survey respondents believe that Pennsylvanians need more options for the safe handling, disposal, and recycling of lithium-ion and rechargeable batteries.
79.1% of survey respondents agree that they need more information about how to safely handle and dispose of lithium-ion and other rechargeable batteries.”
In the last year, 75.3% of survey respondents have disposed of single-use batteries.
68.5% of survey respondents believe that Pennsylvania should have a law that says how lithium ion and other rechargeable batteries should be recycled.
Results of the survey reflect a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points with the conventional 95% degree of desired confidence. In other words, the RMC is 95% confident that the results reflect the views of Pennsylvania residents.
“This demonstrates that Pennsylvanians, given guidance and opportunity, want to do the right thing with their batteries. It is time to end a growing battery pandemic while creating a battery recycling business model. Regardless of well-established procedures, lithium-ion battery-generated fires can occur at waste transfer and disposal facilities, recycling sorting operations, and donation sites where workers or the public could be injured,” offered Robert J. Bylone, President, CEO of the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center.
Details of the full survey can be referenced by contacting the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center at info@PennRMC.org.
The Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center (RMC) is a non-profit corporation with a mission to reduce or eliminate barriers that lead to expanded end-use of Pennsylvania’s recycling. As the only Pennsylvania organization with this uniquely circular mission, the RMC team brings economic development and environmental guidance, recycling industry outreach and research, and manufacturing assistance to stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, manufacturers, recycling sorters, collection programs, haulers, governmental agencies, and officials, consumers, and educators. Since its inception in 2004, and with funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the RMC has an affiliation with Penn State and is headquartered at Penn State Harrisburg with an office also in Pittsburgh. Serving the entire state, RMC assistance includes manufacturing supply connectivity for the use of recycled feedstocks, applied research and commercialization assistance in the use of recycled materials, technology and equipment comparisons, and expert curation of technical and business growth knowledge. The Recycling Markets Center is the keystone of the circular economy in Pennsylvania.
