Collection and recycling of portable batteries: a worldwide overview compared to the Brazilian situation

Around the world there is no doubt about the increasing importance of recycling and the connected issue of sustainable development. In Brazil the new 2000 regulations have prompted society to discuss the future of spent batteries. Worldwide, different battery collection systems and recycling processes have been applied in the last 10 years. This paper presents the options applied in Europe and in the USA and compares the world situation to the current Brazilian reality.