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In recent years, the state has issued a variety of policies and measures to regulate the processing and recycling of lead-acid batteries, but the survey found that the pollution phenomenon in the processing and recycling is repeated. Especially in the recycling link, on the one hand, regular recycled lead companies are generally "not full", and on the other hand, a large number of waste batteries flow into the "black market".

In previous years, "blood lead" exceeded the standard frequently, which seriously affected the health of the victims and attracted great attention of the state. In May 2012, the Ministry of industry and information technology announced the access conditions for the battery industry, standardized the battery processing industry, eliminated a number of small-scale workshop companies with poor technology, and consolidated a number of processing companies with high technology and advanced equipment, which played a positive role in preventing the occurrence of "blood lead" exceeding the standard.

However, to prevent battery pollution, the processing industry only managed the "front" of the pollution source, not the "back" of the battery. It is more important to control the "back end", because the use of batteries involves a wide range and many points, and is extremely scattered. It is very difficult to collect and recycle, which is very easy to cause pollution. Like used dry batteries, it was once popular to collect them separately. Nowadays, recycling bins are rarely seen. The lead-acid batteries listed in the new version of the national list of hazardous wastes are very common in all kinds of scattered automobile repair shops, which are randomly stacked, discarded and not solved in accordance with national regulations. They bury potential pollution hazards and do greater harm.

For a long time, China has not established a perfect recycling system for waste lead-acid batteries. Most of them flow into illegal small workshops for simple disassembly, and the acid liquid is dumped straight, causing damage to human body and ecological environment. In June 2017, Nantong, Jiangsu Province cracked five cases of illegal dumping of waste lead-acid battery waste liquid; In January 2018, a "one-stop" criminal gang of dismantling and smelting waste lead-acid batteries was destroyed in Shanxi. The data show that "among the 3.3 million tons of waste lead-acid batteries in China every year, the proportion of formal recycling is less than 30%". Even in Beijing with a high degree of urbanization, the recycling of waste lead-acid batteries is not ideal. Beijing Daily reported that "only 1% of waste lead-acid batteries have entered the formal recycling channel", and a considerable part has entered the "black market".

Why did this happen? First, regular recycling companies have high processing costs, while illegal "small workshops" rely on an axe and a stove, with almost zero cost. Regular companies can't compete with "black workshops". Second, waste lead-acid batteries are widely used and in large quantities. Relevant departments work alone to pay attention to supervision, and there is no joint force. As a result, the recycling of waste lead-acid batteries has formed a situation of "bad money expelling good money".

How to change the situation of flowing into the "black market"? In December 2016, the general office of the State Council issued the measures for the implementation of the processor responsibility extension system, which implemented the processor responsibility extension system for four types of products such as lead-acid batteries, required to guide processing companies to establish a product traceability system and support the use of "old for new" to improve the recovery rate. However, this is only a guiding method. Whether it can be fully implemented depends on the company's social responsibility, and it is still difficult to realize it. In the author's opinion, the relevant departments can take a bigger step, strengthen the Legislative Research on the recycling of hazardous wastes such as lead-acid batteries, and may wish to introduce corresponding legal norms. At present, the Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal People's Congress is studying and formulating the regulations of Beijing Municipality on the prevention and control of environmental pollution by hazardous waste. It can be said that it has taken the lead in the supervision of hazardous waste, which is worth learning from.

Fight a tough battle of pollution prevention and control, the law governs the long-term and fundamental, and introduce the corresponding legal system as soon as possible. Tomorrow will be more wonderful