PRBA to Participate in EPA Webinar on Management Challenges for Lithium Batteries at Electronics Recyclers

March 29th, 2018 | Posted in General

George Kerchner, Executive Director of PRBA – The Rechargeable Battery Association, will participate in a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency webinar on April 5 from 1:00 p.m. until 2:30 pm on the challenges of managing lithium batteries at electronics recycling facilities.

The EPA webinar will be presented as a panel discussion on the problems electronics recyclers are facing, recommended best practices for removal and transportation of lithium batteries, and suggestions for how electronics manufacturers and recyclers can work together to address these issues.

The webinar is a follow up to EPA’s March 22 webinar on lithium batteries and the challenges that they pose to the waste and recycling industries.

Other scheduled webinar speakers include:

• • Craig Boswell, the co-founder and president of HOBI International, Inc
  • Kevin Leary, an international transportation specialist with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
  • Neil Peters-Michaud, founder and CEO of Cascade Asset Management

IFC Fire Code Action Committee to Consider Proposals on Lithium ion Battery Storage Requirements

March 9th, 2018 | Posted in General

The International Code Council’s Fire Code Action Committee (FCAC) will meet on March 13 and 14 in Chicago to consider substantive changes to the IFC that address the storage of “used and off-spec” and new lithium ion batteries at retail locations and industrial facilities (e.g., battery recyclers and sorters).  PRBA will participate in the meeting and comment on proposals associated with lithium ion batteries.

The IFC currently lacks guidance on the protection levels necessary for the storage of lithium ion batteries.  One proposal on the FCAC’s agenda would classify lithium ion batteries as a “high-hazard commodity.” If approved by FCAC, the new commodity classification would provide guidance to IFC enforcement officials on general fire protection and life safety systems required where lithium ion batteries are stored.

For more information, contact George Kerchner at 202.719.4109 or [email protected]