The Israel Electronics Recycling Corporation has begun rolling out recycling receptacles for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in electric bicycles and scooters, but not cars.
The company, known in Hebrew by its acronym MAI, began delivering containers in Jerusalem and Rishon Lezion last week.
The move comes nearly two years after legislation on the recycling of electronic waste and batteries was expanded to include lithium-ion batteries used in electric scooters and bikes.
The batteries will be sent to a sorting facility in the northern West Bank settlement of Shiloh, which is authorized to prepare, pack and ship them in special containers to recycling plants in Europe.
In addition to lithium, batteries contain other metals such as cobalt, aluminum, nickel and copper, which are not only expensive and environmentally toxic, but whose extraction is associated with Violation of human rights.
Lithium-ion batteries are almost entirely recyclable. Reusing component metals saves on additional mining and can reduce battery costs. Conversely, dumping batteries in landfills can cause fires, and toxic substances can leach out and contaminate soil and groundwater.
Also, old and damaged batteries can be dangerous. In the past year alone, battery-related fires have killed six people and injured hundreds in Israel, according to the MAI.
In August, a bike battery was the cause of a house fire in the Tikvah neighborhood of Tel Aviv. Video from the scene shows an electric bike on the pavement near the house catching fire.
It happens again:
This morning in Hatikwa locality, the battery of an electric bicycle caught fire and the house caught fire. pic.twitter.com/hoIotoNc4I— Aslan Khalil (@KhalilAslan) August 3, 2022
While the law was expanded to put the responsibility for recycling on importers and local manufacturers of electric bikes, scooters and their batteries, according to MAI’s CEO, Amnon Sharoor, no regulations have ever been formulated for the recycling and disposal of lithium-ion batteries. were not done.
This, he said, forced the corporation to develop its own strategy and rules. MAI was established in 2014 and recognized by the Ministry of Environmental Protection as the implementation branch of the Electric/Electronic Recycling Law.
Sharoor also expressed sadness over the law’s exclusion of electric vehicle batteries, saying Israel is far behind the rest of the developed world.
Amnon Sharoor, CEO of the Israel Electronics Recycling Corporation, known in Hebrew by its acronym MAI (Courtesy, Israel Electronics Recycling Corporation).
On Thursday, the European Commission was ready to publish it Crucial Raw Materials Act, Which will set targets for recycling a wide range of batteries, including those used in industry, in electric cars and in cars with combustion engines.
Last year, Mossi Raz, the then MP for Meretz, tried unsuccessfully to push a bill for the recycling of EV car batteries.
“Now more than 30 percent of vehicles coming in are electric, with each battery weighing half a ton, and nobody knows what to do with them,” Sharoor said.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians make a living by separating and incinerating electronic waste from Israel in order to extract metals from them and sell them for recyclable items such as solar panels. profitable industry has been blamed For higher cancer rates and environmental damage.
Despite the absence of any regulation, Coalmobil, a vehicle import arm of ICL, and EMS Metals, a waste recycler, announced plans in June for a factory that would recycle lithium-ion batteries from electric cars.
Palestinians burn garbage near security barriers in towns west of Hebron. (Tamir Khalifa)
Rules have to be made for this, Sharoor said.
Meanwhile, in the absence of any official regulations, the MAI has developed a number of guidelines based on international practice for collecting batteries.
Sharoor cautioned the public to only use lithium-ion batteries for the purpose they were designed for, and that batteries should never be refurbished by anyone other than an authorized dealer.
He insisted that all such batteries should be sent for recycling when they reach three years, whether they still work or not.
It was important to keep old and damaged batteries dry, preferably sealed in a plastic bag, and to cover the battery terminals (or connections) with stickers or tape. Care must be taken not to do anything to drop or break them as this may cause them to catch fire.
