Money from trash: how much you can earn from old batteries. Receiving car batteries as a business - tips

There are several ways to make money from batteries. The average car battery lasts from 1 to 3 years. It all depends on the intensity of use of the car and its operating conditions. High-quality and expensive batteries can last up to 5 years. Then, in most cases, the old battery is thrown away and a new one is purchased.

  • How to start a business recycling old batteries
  • What kind of room do you need?
  • How to make your battery recycling business more profitable
  • What documents are needed to start a business?
  • Setting up a battery repair business
  • How to start a battery recycling business
  • What documents are needed to open a business?
  • Which tax system to choose for business
  • Do I need a permit to dispose of batteries?

Considering the life cycle of each battery, you can see at least three ideas with which you can make money: recycling old batteries and repairing and maintaining existing batteries.

How to start a business recycling old batteries

For novice entrepreneurs, the idea may seem quite attractive, because of special knowledge or skills, equipment and even hired personnel. All operations can be performed by just one person.

The business idea is to buy old batteries from private car owners and resell them to wholesale resellers, or even better, to a factory where they will be processed into new batteries.

It is most profitable to look for old batteries in large garage cooperatives and garage communities. Most private car enthusiasts do not want to take 1-2 old batteries to a factory for recycling. By going around garages and offering everyone who wants to sell old unnecessary batteries, you can purchase them at a price of 100-150 rubles apiece. At the factory they can be resold for 300-500 rubles, depending on the weight.

Transportation of old batteries can be arranged using a personal car, bicycle, or even a hand truck. Replace the tedious process of going through garages by posting advertisements. Sometimes it is useful to look at waste dumps that accumulate near garages and car factories. Some car owners simply throw used batteries in the nearest trash heap.

A significant nuance: the company that accepts old batteries for recycling is not interested in working with small batches. You will have to accumulate goods until the minimum batch established by the enterprise is reached. Then transport this batch in bulk, which automatically leads to the need.

What kind of room do you need?

It is not recommended to store old batteries in large quantities at home. They release toxic substances that can seriously harm your health and even lead to problems with the law. To store batteries, you need a warehouse that can be organized.

The garage itself can either be rented or purchased as property. The second is preferable, since not every lessor will agree to have potentially dangerous goods stored on his property. In addition, an owned garage is a valuable asset that can always be sold in difficult times or if you want to leave this business.

How to make your battery recycling business more profitable

Do you have a desire to expand your business? No problem! You can organize several collection points for old batteries, opening them in the largest garage areas, on the sides of busy roads, not far from those servicing cars.

You can offer waste battery removal services to large automobile enterprises, vehicle fleets, service and technical centers. Many of them have to solve this problem themselves, when they can outsource it.

What documents are needed to start a business?

The vast majority of legal entities benefit from working not with private individuals, but with the same legal entities. Therefore, you will have to register as a private entrepreneur, which leads to additional difficulties.

In addition to the mandatory registration of an LLC or individual entrepreneur and the execution of relevant documents, mandatory licensing of a battery business is required. Considering the fact that old batteries belong to hazard class 1-4 waste, obtaining a license will not be easy. Before obtaining a license, be sure to undergo an inspection of the suitability of the premises from employees of the SES and fire supervision.

Setting up a battery repair business

Often, when the battery fails, the car owner throws out the old battery and buys a new one. Moreover, modern high-tech batteries are not maintained or repaired. But not everyone has such high-class batteries. Most car enthusiasts have simple lead-acid models that are easy to repair and restore. Moreover, after restoration they can last for quite a long time.

The most common battery malfunctions:

  • short-circuiting of the plates is eliminated by replacing the electrolyte and repeatedly washing the battery;
  • wear of the side plates is treated by replacing them with simultaneous renewal of the electrolyte;
  • sulfation of the plates is removed using a desulfating mixture, which is added to the battery.

The service of battery restoration using pulsed currents, training cycles, adding additives, and charging batteries with reverse currents is in great demand. Such procedures give the old battery new life, and the high-quality implementation of these procedures becomes a reason to give the consumer a limited warranty on the refurbished battery.

Special starting, charging and restoration equipment for batteries is not expensive or difficult to obtain. By the way, during the Soviet Union, many craftsmen assembled similar devices in their garages from improvised materials. Of course, in the absence of extensive knowledge and skills in installing electronics, it is easier to buy the required device.

You can also organize a service point and make money on batteries by performing all the operations yourself. You just need to spend time and effort studying all the processes and acquiring practical skills.

According to the experience of many service stations, this service is in stable demand among the population, especially in winter. On the other hand, not all service centers provide battery servicing, so there is little competition in this area. The reason is the low prospects of the business in the long term. Nowadays, more and more batteries cannot be disassembled and cannot be repaired or restored.

How to start a battery recycling business

To start a business recycling used batteries, you need to register an LLC with government agencies. Organize advertising - create a business card website, as well as organize telephone communication via the 8800 hotline.

The location of the battery storage and sorting point should be in an industrial area, away from the human factor. You can rent a warehouse space of at least 500 m². The room must be equipped with special equipment, grinding installations, etc. It is worth getting a car to transport raw materials. Next you need to hire 10 -15 employees. Workers must be highly qualified and have specialized education. They must comply with all technical and hygienic standards, as well as follow safety rules during the recycling process of batteries.

If you have the opportunity and desire, you can simultaneously invest in cars. Car rental is profitable if you organize the business correctly. See about profitable investments in cars , you might also want to earn money this way.

What documents are needed to open a business?

To obtain a license to recycle used batteries you must:

  • certificate of registration of LLC;
  • expert opinion, which confirms compliance with sanitary standards and rules;
  • SE conclusion from Rospotrebnadzor;
  • expert opinion on the equipment used for recycling;
  • license for transportation, processing and disposal of hazardous waste of the 2nd class.

To obtain all the necessary documents and certificates, you can contact a special company or obtain them yourself.

Which tax system to choose for business

In accordance with the Tax Code, Article 149, paragraph 25, subparagraph 2, if taxpayers have a license to transport, neutralize and dispose of hazardous waste, they are exempt from taxation.

Do I need a permit to dispose of batteries?

To dispose of used batteries, you must obtain a license for the transportation, treatment and disposal of Class 2 hazardous waste.

Are you interested in other niches and earning opportunities? If yes, read the new book Territories of Investment " Where is it profitable to invest money?« . And know that by investing your money wisely, you can secure your future.

Did you know that one battery thrown into the trash can contaminate 400 liters of water and 20 square meters of soil with heavy metals? These are certainly huge numbers. Therefore, people who simply throw away batteries with household garbage are approaching this issue irresponsibly. Can the battery business be considered a promising idea? Let's look at this issue in our article.

Some more facts

If we take the entire production volume of rechargeable batteries, then only 3% of them are recycled. The most batteries are recycled in the USA, Australia and Europe. In developing countries there is no such activity at all, and all batteries are disposed of with household waste.

Where to start a battery business?

The first thing to do is to organize collection points for used batteries. However, this is the case if you decide to only collect. Then all batteries are transported to recycling plants. At the same time, anyone can engage in recycling, but considerable investments will be required.

Business plan for collecting used batteries

It is worth understanding that such an idea cannot be called highly profitable, but it does not require large expenses. Business prospects will increase if in the future you still plan to organize your own recycling workshop. Then the profit will increase tenfold.

The collection of batteries will be more active if the population is informed about the dangers of improper disposal and its consequences. This can be done using stands installed next to the container for collecting used batteries, as well as through articles in the local press and the distribution of flyers. It is also possible to organize mobile collection points.

There is no need to pay money to the public to dispose of batteries in a special container. But entrepreneurs who send assembled batteries to a special plant receive money for this depending on the weight of the raw materials.

Battery business in Russia

In our country, batteries have been officially collected since 2013. At that time, the Megapolisresurs plant in Chelyabinsk took up this task. Before this, only private companies took the initiative, sending all collected raw materials abroad or storing them “until better times.”

Processing technology

If a plant processes batteries of various types, then at the first stage they are sorted depending on their charge level and composition. This is a very complex process.

First, flammable materials (insulation and plastic) are removed from the battery. This is done using a gas thermal oxidation unit. The output is purified metal elements. They are finely chopped and heated. Non-metallic products are burned, leaving behind a black slag that is easy to remove. The liquid alloys that remain after heating are sorted by weight and separated from each other.

Some companies don't separate the metals, but simply send the resulting liquid alloys to factories that produce chromium, nickel or iron for stainless steel and other products.

Recycling is an energy-intensive process. To extract the metal, you will need several times more energy than in the case of other methods of producing materials. This begs the question: “Who benefits from paying for battery recycling?”

For example, in the EU countries, when producing batteries, disposal costs are immediately added to their cost. And if you return old batteries, the buyer receives a discount on new ones.

Nickel-metal hydride batteries are considered the most profitable, since when they are recycled, you can get a fairly large percentage of nickel and recoup the entire process. Lithium-ion and nickel-cadmium batteries require the most disposal costs, since cadmium is in low demand, and lithium-ion batteries do not allow much metal to be recovered.

Not all batteries are recycled. Some are sent to landfills for burial.

Recycling and recycling of batteries using the example of Megapolisresurs

Today this is the largest collection point for used batteries in Russia. The company was founded in 2004, but only started processing in 2013. The processing process in this organization is carried out using the latest technology, the authors of which are the Megapolisresurs specialists themselves. According to the authors of the invention, the efficiency of this process has reached a maximum of 80%, which is 20% more than abroad. For example, in Germany the efficiency is no more than 60%.

Currently, Megapolisresurs employees are collaborating with the largest stores in the country, installing bins for collecting used batteries. There are also our own collection points in 24 cities across the country.

Opening a business for recycling used batteries is quite difficult, since the industry is not yet very developed in our country. There is also no public culture for recycling batteries, and you will have to work hard to collect the necessary raw materials. Setting up a processing plant will require significant costs, which are difficult to recover when reselling recyclable materials. Therefore, such a business must be additionally financed by the state.

Simply put, it’s worth considering battery recycling as a business, but with a big eye on the payback. The processing or processing business looks much more interesting in terms of profit.

If you have anything to add to the article or would like to ask a question, we welcome your comments!


I started this business as a result of an incident that happened in my car garage. A man knocked on my door and asked a question: “Hey, friend, do you have any extra batteries?” Why do you need it? I was curious. Well, I would buy them from you,” said the stranger. Out of joy, I took this junk out of the garage and willingly sold 3 old batteries that I found in the garage.



To be honest, I received only 500 rubles for them. One thought haunted me: “Why do some people need old batteries?” It is not possible to charge them and use them for their intended purpose. As it turns out, lead is simply removed from batteries, and later it is melted down and sold to a scrap metal collection point. I began to find out the nuances of such a business and discovered several factors: batteries are usually bought at rates per kg. they are constantly different and calculating a fixed cost is not difficult. Cost kg. from 30 rubles. And the cost of taking lead is 80 rubles. Profit is approximately 100 to 300%.


No wonder, there is no information about this profitable business either online or in print publications. Everyone who receives at least some information will try to start their own business.


I decided to test this business on myself and began to look for batteries myself. I found the first battery in my garage, I found 1 behind the garages and also purchased 1 from a neighbor. Armed with pliers and a pry bar, I began to disassemble them. That day, I needed to get the records out of the battery, which is not very easy, and also unsafe. It happens that there is still electrolyte in the batteries, which easily corrodes not only clothes, but also hands, so if you try to
profitable business, try to ensure that during the process of disassembling the battery you always have free access to water and soap. I melted the lead removed from the battery on a handmade stove-stove into small ingots, which I then handed over to a collection point for non-ferrous alloys.


Having received the first cash, I began to develop my own business and immediately submitted advertisements in print publications and the Internet, and also posted my offer in garages. In just one day I managed to buy 5 batteries, and in seven days more than 50. Next, I hired 2 schoolchildren who, for a small amount, posted my advertisement in many garages.


After that, it was possible to purchase 10-15 batteries per day. Although not all of them. I came to an agreement with the foreman of the taxi fleet’s maintenance workshop so that he would sell me batteries that had expired. In a month I visited all the companies related to cars. This entry into the market brought me many acquisitions. Despite the large volumes, I professionally learned how to break the battery and take records out of it, everything went to the point that I had to hire two workers. After which I completely moved away from this monotonous and especially unsafe work.


Things were going so well, in the following days I found a large consumer of lead, who purchased it for much more than what they gave me at the first acceptance, with only one condition: the batch of lead must be from 700 kg. I previously registered my own business. Being an officially registered individual entrepreneur, I had much less chance of coming to the attention of the tax authorities. However, I pay taxes within reasonable limits. I fill out the income statement based on a simplified tax payment system of 4 percent of turnover.


My business has been operating for 4 years, I have not encountered any difficulties. The initial investment to create my business required me about ten thousand rubles, but this is a special case and depends on the region and the number of car owners.

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If you suddenly decide to implement a business idea for recycling batteries, then, let’s face it, this is a bad idea. Of course, a battery is a product that does not decompose in the environment, and if you throw it in the trash, you will harm the environment. It makes sense that it should be recycled. But there are reasons why no one is doing this.

Why is the business idea of ​​recycling batteries not promising?

If you try to take used batteries to a collection point, you will have problems. You simply won’t be able to find such items, because there are practically none. This is justified by the fact that recycling batteries is an expensive activity that does not promise profits. It just so happens that making batteries from scratch is much cheaper than recycling ready-made and used ones. Perhaps in the future they will come up with technologies that will allow used batteries to be quickly and cheaply used to produce new ones, but at the moment such technologies do not exist. Well-known manufacturers of these products speak about this. Therefore, you should switch to others, which offer much greater prospects and break-even. You can find more detailed information about this business idea in the following video material:

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