Call2Recycle and EDI introduce technology for sorting X-ray batteries

On By Vaseline

New equipment will double EDI’s capacity, allowing it to process up to almost 500 kilograms of batteries per hour. | Ververidis Vasilis/Shutterstock

Battery recycling in Ontario, Canada is getting a boost after Call2Recycle and Electronic Distributors International installed new battery sorting technology, making EDI the only provider in North America using this technology.

The X-ray technology, located at EDI’s facility in Orillia, Ontario, is one of four of its kind in the world, a press release said.

Batteries pass an X-ray scan that identifies the battery’s chemistry, and the battery is then discharged into the appropriate container, a company representative told E-Scrap News.

The Call2Recycle program collects all types of household batteries 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 supplied through the Call2Recycle program .

The equipment will double the capacity of the factory, allowing it to process up to almost 500 kilograms of batteries per hour. It also reduces the risk of safety incidents.

“By increasing the accuracy of the process, potential hazards associated with chemical cross-contamination are also substantially reduced,” the company said in a written statement.

Joe Zenobio, president of Call2Recycle Canada, said in the press release that the organization is “proud to partner with forward-thinking organizations like EDI who are driving innovation and positive change in the recycling industry.”

“Innovations like these not only strengthen our efforts to increase battery recycling infrastructure in Ontario, but also help improve its efficiency by supporting the collection of higher volumes of batteries,” Zenobio added.

EDI has been working with Call2Recycle since 2022 to improve battery recycling in Ontario. It has three facilities in Ontario.

More stories about batteries