Thread: Another interesting day.

900kg of old batteries. At the price new lead is at the moment I think you should go hit your nephew up for a beer or something!

Originally Posted by Relay

900kg of old batteries. At the price new lead is at the moment I think you should go hit your nephew up for a beer or something!

New lead might be - I'll find out what he got for it, but he was expecting to get about half the price per kilo that he got for the steel. I left him dealing with the paperwork, but I'll see him tomorrow.

Never mind about the quid pro quo - I have some welding needed and also plan on borrowing his front end loader and posthole digger (which he doesn't know about yet), not to mention the bulldozing he is going to do for me on a couple of fencelines, and ......

John

But he's family. He has to do such things whether he owes you or not! Beer on the other hand, must be bought through hard work!

My wrecking yard mates tell me this :-clean aluminium is fetching around $2 per kilo, clean means aluminium only, no steel or other metals attached like studs and brackets; ferrous metals around $150 per tonne; batteries are now almost worthless and are dumped, not being worth the storing and handling. The City Council requires they be stored under cover behind a bund wall like the waste oil. Easier to put them in the industrial bin.

30-40 years ago we clamped onto any batteries we came across as they fetched $2 to $3 at the scrap dealers. Apparently they then contained real lead plates and the vulcanised cases were resold to the many small local battery makers that have now disappeared. I am told they now contain a lead paste in fibreglass grids. I do not know how true this is.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

..........
30-40 years ago we clamped onto any batteries we came across as they fetched $2 to $3 at the scrap dealers. Apparently they then contained real lead plates and the vulcanised cases were resold to the many small local battery makers that have now disappeared. I am told they now contain a lead paste in fibreglass grids. I do not know how true this is.

All lead-acid batteries (past and present) contain both "lead paste", actually lead peroxide and lead sulphate in a grid of metallic lead which acts as the conductor. What has happened in recent years is that computer aided design has enabled the amount of metallic lead to be reduced to a bare minimum, partly by using fibreglass or other plastic supports, so there is less in the battery than there used to be for the same rating, and also less metallic lead per kilo. Although the lead compounds should have significant value as lead "ore".

And as you indicate, the problems of storing and handling old batteris has added to the cost. But apparently the fact that old batteries are now saleable is because of environmental initiatives to subsidise the collection and processing of them! A year ago they were unsaleable, today they are worth the effort of taking into town.

John

Better than letting the scrappies come in and take it away for 'free' .
Around here they advertise free pick up and cleaning up of old cars and machinery.
If they are worth something sell them.


john

Originally Posted by Relay

900kg of old batteries. At the price new lead is at the moment I think you should go hit your nephew up for a beer or something!

I bought a new battery for our defender the other week (nearly $300 ). Anyway he said all batteries will be going up in the order of 20% next month due to the price of led.

G'day Captain Rightfoot

The price of Lead!!!!! more like the price of Profit

cheers