New equipment will double EDI’s facility capacity, allowing it to process up to almost 500 kilograms of batteries per hour. | Ververidis Vasilis/Shutterstock
Ontario, Canada’s battery recycling is getting a boost after Call2Recycle and Electronic Distributors International installed new battery sorting technology, making EDI the only provider in North America using the technology.
Located at EDI’s Orillia, Ontario, facility, the x-ray technology is one of four of its type in the world, a press release said.
Batteries pass through an x-ray scan that identifies the battery’s chemistry, and the battery is then discharged into the appropriate receptacle, a company representative told E-Scrap News.
The Call2Recycle program collects all types of household batteries weighing up to 5 kilograms, as well as e-transport batteries. The new technology is designed for small, single-use batteries such as AA, AAA, 9V, C, D and button batteries, which represent 80% to 85% of the volume of batteries that come through the Call2Recycle program.
The equipment will double the plant’s capacity, allowing it to process up to almost 500 kilograms of batteries per hour. It will also reduce the risk of safety incidents.
“By increasing the accuracy of the process, it also substantially reduces possible hazards linked to chemical cross contamination,” the company said in a written statement.
Joe Zenobio, president of Call2Recycle Canada, said in the press release that the organization is “proud to work with forward-thinking organizations like EDI who drive innovation and positive change in the recycling industry.”
“Innovations like this not only bolster our efforts to increase Ontario’s battery recycling infrastructure but also help enhance its efficiency by supporting the collection of larger volumes of batteries,” Zenobio added.
EDI has partnered with Call2Recycle since 2022 to better recycle batteries in Ontario. It has three facilities in Ontario.