
Anyone who disposes of their used batteries in the designated green boxes – like those found in supermarkets – can rest assured that these batteries will be almost entirely recycled. Redux GmbH, based in Bremerhaven, is the world’s leading recycler of household batteries.
A machine that can sort 40 batteries every second
The X-ray machine in the large industrial warehouse situated next to the international port in Bremerhaven is, in a word, impressive. Not just because of its design or its size, but because huge numbers of typical household batteries rush at high speeds through small holes in its case, which is approximately the size of two wardrobes. Up to 40 batteries are screened each second using X-rays, before being conveyed into the right collecting container by a blast of compressed air. This machine is owned by Redux Recycling GmbH. “The system uses the grey shadows on the X-ray images to identify the type of each battery,” explains CEO Holger Kuhlmann. He pauses briefly, before adding, “The system was developed a good 20 years ago and is still state-of-the-art. Not bad, eh?”
