Global guidelines on managing lead battery recycling discussed in Geneva

Updated technical guidelines on the environmentally sound management and recycling of lead batteries have been reviewed by the Basel Convention – a UN group tasked with setting rules for managing waste.

ILA has contributed to the development of the new guidelines which will now be reviewed by a ‘contact group’ appointed by the Basel Convention for further technical assessment. 

Once approved the guidelines act as the official global instructions for minimum standards for managing and safely recycling lead batteries. 

Dr Steve Binks, Director of Regulatory Affairs at ILA, who represented the lead industry at the Basel working group meeting in Geneva, said he hoped to see rapid progress approving the updated draft instructions. 

He said: “The Basel technical guidelines effectively act as a benchmark for all countries to follow as a minimum standard. This is important as it forms the basis of work in low and middle income countries in particular where standards of recycling in some operations are unsafe and require significant improvement.”

Last year four associations representing the lead and lead battery industries – ILA, Battery Council International, EUROBAT and the Association of Battery Recyclers – established the LeadBattery360 initiative to promote and recognise best practice in lead battery value chains – from mining to manufacturing and recycling.