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You probably haven’t thought of this off-shoot problem of load-shedding, have you? Don’t worry, the same goes for me and the whole of South Africa.

Amid load-shedding and the shift to electric mobility, batteries have become lifelines for South Africans. They power homes and businesses through blackouts, keep our phones charged on the move, and now, they’re driving our cars.

However, South Africa is woefully unprepared to recycle these batteries and their hazardous components at scale when they reach the end of their life, sparking fears of a looming environmental catastrophe, experts warn.

Hector King, power division product manager at communications and energy specialists Dartcom, said via TechCentral that lithium batteries are a relatively new technology, and many of the lithium batteries in use in South Africa are only now beginning to expire:

“Little thought has been given to what should happen to these batteries when they reach end of life,” he said.

“In contrast with lead-acid batteries, which are 98% recyclable, lithium batteries are not completely recyclable, and disposal is becoming a serious problem. There are virtually no disposal facilities locally and regulations around the disposal of lithium batteries are very rudimentary.”

He added that when lithium batteries reach end of life, or are vandalised at cellphone tower sites, disposal will prove to be a real problem.

“End-of-life and vandalised lithium batteries are already starting to stack up in storage facilities,” King said.

The real crisis, according to Dartcom support and services manager Zubair Arbee, is that lithium batteries contain small amounts of toxic materials.

“Once an end-of-life battery has been disassembled and shredded, these materials make up a powder called ‘black mass’. When the black mass reaches around 4t, it is shipped to specialised facilities in Europe for processing, as South Africa does not have the ability to process black mass.

“This recycling process can be costly. As a result, many organisations simply stockpile their end-of-life or vandalised lithium batteries. But as the number of used lithium batteries grows, there is an increasing risk of fire hazards and toxic chemicals seeping into groundwater.”

We really don’t need more toxic waste running rampant in our supply systems. Our blood is already chocker block with microplastics and forever chemicals, nogal.

Our government is well-aware of the problem, however, according to Patricia Schröder, CEO of Circular Energy, a “producer responsibility organisation” for the electrical and electronic equipment, lighting and lighting equipment, and paper and packaging sectors.

“The department of forestry, fisheries & the environment (DFFE) has several polices to address these products at end of life. The waste classification regulations of 2013 restrict these products from landfill,” Schröder said.

The new extended producer responsibility regulations (EPRs) require companies importing or manufacturing these products in South Africa to pay a fee to a producer responsibility organisation. This fee funds the end-of-life waste management, including collection, transport, recycling, and treatment. However, companies in South Africa need to be compliant with these regulations for manageament to be successful.

“At present, only a small percentage of companies are compliant, and further advocacy and DFFE enforcement is required.”

While free-riding companies can sell their products cheaper due to not applying the added cost of EPR fee payment, it is a criminal offence to be non-compliant.

[source:techcentral]