At present, Lead acid batteries form the dominant source of energy for diverse applications: automotive, railways, telecom, UPS, inverters, e-rickshaws, energy storage etc., And due to the massive investments in India’s infrastructure, e-mobility, IT, energy transition etc., India will continue to witness steady growths in the Lead battery area in the coming decades as well India also exports Lead acid batteries, to some extent.

Also due to the steady inflow of Used Lead Acid Batteries (ULABs), Lead recycling also continues to grow by leaps and bounds. India, in fact, is a major secondary Lead producer, in the world. Almost 700 authorised Lead recyclers of varying capacities are registered with the regulators across the country. Fortunately, conducive policies for green recycling of Lead batteries with EPR stipulation have been announced; it is hoped that regulatory bodies will strictly enforce and monitor these legislations. Industry also needs to be proactive by introducing voluntary initiatives. ILZDA has been very active in organizing conferences on green recycling of Lead in various cities. Awareness creation among the small players in Lead battery manufacture as well as Lead battery recycling is the main objective of these events.

Steps for controlling and minimising the role of informal recycling in the case of ULABs will be highlighted through this presentation. These steps should have been introduced in India much earlier and hence it is already a delayed action.