November 7, 2019: On November 11, the US Environmental Protection Agency, Keep America Beautiful and the US Department of Defense, will host a special event recognizing ‘Recycling Heroes within the Military’.

The lead battery manufacturing and recycling industry provides jobs suited for military veterans transitioning to the private workforce.

Shane Anderson, who spent six years in the Army National Guard before joining Exide Technologies as a transport supervisor, says: “Many recycling facilities in the US are in areas that do not have many job opportunities.

“The jobs the recycling industry provides are valuable to individuals and the communities where they live.”

Tod Lyons, communications and sustainability manager for Interstate Batteries and a former US Coast Guard, says recycling creates job opportunities for veterans and all Americans.

“The recycling industry offers employment in skilled and unskilled positions to manage the use of raw materials for the production of new goods. Recycling extends the life of many products, creating job opportunities for veterans and others worldwide.”

Lead battery recycling supports a circular economy where waste materials are reused in the manufacture of new batteries.

“With its 99% recycling rate, the lead battery industry acts as a model for other battery chemistries — and industries — in how to responsibly design, make, use, recycle and remanufacture materials,” says Kevin Moran, executive vice president of Battery Council International,

BCI is one of more than 160 organizations that have signed the EPA’s America Recycles Pledge.

On October 3 BCI said the lead battery industry contributed $26.3 billion a year to the US economy according to research prepared by the EDR Group.