CITIZENS

The Separate Collection of Portable Batteries

Portable batteries (or more correctly, portable batteries and accumulators), once their life cycle is over, must not be thrown away with unsorted waste, but must be collected separately and properly recycled.

What are portable batteries?

Portable batteries are all sealed batteries and accumulators that an average person could carry by hand without difficulty, different from automotive batteries or accumulators, as well as from industrial batteries or accumulators, including single cell batteries (such as AA and AAA batteries) and batteries and accumulators used by consumers or professionals in mobile phones, laptops, cordless power tools, toys and electrical appliances such as electric toothbrushes, shavers and portable vacuum cleaners (including similar equipment used in schools, shops, airports, restaurants, offices or hospitals) and any battery or accumulator that can be used by consumers for normal household appliances”

All spent portable batteries and accumulators contain materials that, if not properly collected and treated, will contribute to serious environmental pollution: it is therefore essential that everyone contributes to the separate collection of spent batteries.

Where to take spent batteries?

Citizens can deliver them to municipal collection centers (where available) or use the containers provided by local authorities and distributed throughout the territory. Additionally, they can deliver their spent batteries to retailers who will collect them free of charge without any obligation to purchase new ones.

And what about other types of batteries and accumulators?

 Vehicle accumulators, such as car starter batteries, are collected by repair shops at the time of replacement: if you have one of these spent batteries, you can still deliver it to a Collection Center. Once collected, spent batteries and accumulators will be sent for proper treatment and recovery through the collection Systems established by producers and coordinated by the CDCNPA.

What is the difference between a battery and an accumulator?

A battery is a device that generates electrical current through the transformation of chemical energy into electrical energy. Unlike an accumulator, it is not rechargeable and is therefore also defined as a primary battery. An accumulator differs from a battery precisely because it is rechargeable and only after numerous discharge and recharge processes does it become permanently consumed and turn into waste.