End-of-Life Portable Lithium-Ion Batteries in Japan: Generation, Collection System Effectiveness, and Unidentified Flows

Abstract

End-of-life (EoL) management of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) presents significant environmental and safety challenges. This study estimated Japan’s EoL portable LIB generation and assessed the effectiveness of its collection systems. A survey of 33 waste electrical and electronic equipment categories found that 82% of them contained LIBs, with many incorporating built-in batteries, leading to disposal in inappropriate waste streams. In 2020, approximately 8162 tonnes of EoL portable LIBs were generated, with six key categories—smartphones, laptops, tablets, cordless vacuum cleaners, power banks, and motor-assisted bicycles. Despite Japan’s collection systems covering 77% of EoL generation, only 14% were collected. Possible paths for the rest 86% include disposal in municipal solid waste, export with secondhand products, and untracked collections from businesses. Even considering these, however, the destination of nearly half of EoL LIBs remains unknown, highlighting the need to identify remaining flows to enhance collection frameworks that ensure sustainable resource management and safe disposal.

Keywords: lithium-ion battery, end-of-life generation, material flow, waste electrical and electronic equipment, secondary resource, ignition and fire incident