Project
Hampton Roads Regional Scenario Planning
Year
Country
US
Project
Battery Recycling
Rechargeable lead batteries are used for power storage in motor vehicles, in communications equipment, and in solar panels. In a study for the Battery Council International, EDR Group (now EBP) examined the economic impact of the process whereby they are manufactured, recycled and re-manufactured, creating jobs in the U.S. The study reported that there is a 99% recycling rate with these batteries, and that process supports more than 95,000 jobs for American workers and contributes more than $28 billion in total economic output to the national economy.
The study also showed that workers directly employed by the battery industry earn $6 billion annually, with average salaries among mining and recycling employees reaching $83,606, while manufacturing employees see similarly high salaries of $62,343 - providing livable wages and access to the middle class for workers regardless of their education level. The port also noted that the increasing demand for energy storage in renewable energy facilities, as well as lead batteries' essential uses in the nation's infrastructure that encompasses transportation, logistics, communications, and critical backup power, produces a direct economic output of $11.2 billion from their manufacture and recycling.
