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Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Web Academy Webinar: An Introduction to Lithium Batteries and the Challenges that they Pose to the Waste and Recycling Industry

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Thursday, March 22, 2018, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST

Lithium batteries are becoming more prevalent in American homes and businesses as electronic devices become smaller, more portable and more essential to our daily lives. These batteries are also new to the waste management system and present new challenges to solid waste managers and recyclers alike. This webinar covered the basics of lithium batteries, the impacts to the waste management industry, and information on lithium battery recycling.

Argonne National Laboratory is a multidisciplinary science and engineering research center working on how to obtain affordable clean energy, as well as protecting ourselves and our environment.  Within Argonne is the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS), which is a group consisting of scientists and engineers from throughout Argonne who working together and with industry and academia to collaboratively address energy storage challenges and needs.

Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) was founded in 1986 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich. It is a sustainability and recycling consulting firm serving both public and private sectors that strives to create a world where resources are managed to maximize economic and social benefit while minimizing environmental harm. RRS employs industry professionals, engineers, economists, technical analysts and communication specialists who share this vision and possess core strengths in materials and recovery, solid waste planning, life cycle management, applied sustainable design, and collaborative action development.

Call2Recycle is the premier battery collection and recycling program in North America.  Founded in 1994, it has collected over 144 million pounds of consumer batteries since inception.  A non-profit stewardship organization, it is focused on educating consumers on the importance of safely recycling batteries.  Most recently, it launched its Charge Up SafetyTM campaign, aimed at educating stakeholders on the safe handling and transport of lithium-based batteries.

The Recycling Partnership is a national nonprofit organization that leverages corporate partner funding to transform recycling in cities and towns all across America. As the only organization in the country that engages the full recycling supply chain from the corporations that manufacture products and packaging to local governments charged with recycling to industry end markets, haulers, material recovery facilities, and converters; the Recycling Partnership positively impacts recycling at every step in the process.  

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Speakers:

This is a picture of one of the webinar speakers, Jeffrey Spangenberger. Jeffrey works

Jeffrey Spangenberger is a senior engineering specialist at Argonne National Laboratory with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Iowa State University. Working in the Energy Systems Division’s Process Technology Group and as part of Argonne’s ACCESS group, Jeff leads energy research activities ranging from bench-scale testing to full-scale plant installations. The focus of his work is material recovery and recycling from waste streams with a concentration on battery recycling.

Michael TiThis is a picture of one of the webinar speakers, Michael Timpane. Michael is a Principal and Vice President of Process Optimization and Material Recovery at Resource Recycling Systems.mpane is a Principal and Vice President of Process Optimization and Material Recovery at RRS. He works with solid waste and recycling companies, materials recovery facilities (MRFs), NGOs, major consumer product groups, international packaging companies, and the public sector. His current engagements include work on batteries from a recycling facility perspective as part of both NWRA and ISRI PSI Chapter. With over 40 years in executive field operations and development roles with the largest public recycling companies in the United States, Michael has gained a reputation for thought leadership, management, and technical execution in recycling processing, technology, recycling systems pricing, material streams, recycling economics, hard-to-handle materials, recoverable commodities, and process improvement. Prior to RRS, Michael worked with Waste Management (WM) for 13 years with responsibilities including recycling procurements nationwide, Business Development, Director of WM’s e-Cycling business, MRF process improvement, and material stream analysis.

This is a picture of one of the webinar speakers, Carl Smith. Carl heads Call2Recycle, North America's most successful consumer battery recycling program.

Carl Smith heads Call2Recycle, North America’s most successful consumer battery recycling program. As CEO/President, he oversees the organization’s strategy, its education efforts, and its stakeholder relationships. He is known for his deep understanding of product stewardship and its impact on markets. Mr. Smith has extensive experience in strategic marketing, general management, and environmental leadership. He has held senior positions in marketing with Fortune 500 companies, headed environmental organizations, and with major health care companies. Along with advanced degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in public policy, he also has considerable experience in Washington D.C., including on Capitol Hill.

This is a picture of Elizabeth Schussler from Recycling PartnershipElizabeth Schussler focuses on Program Design for The Recycling Partnership. Recycling’s blend of left- and right-brained challenges keeps Elizabeth busy trying to crack the code of efficient, effective, and replicable recycling communications.

With years of experience in branding, design, and recycling-related communications, Elizabeth works every day with communities and stakeholders across the United States to engage and empower the behavior change needed for successful residential recycling.

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Slides:

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