GreenNY Specification: AAA, AA and D Batteries

Covered Products

Any AAA, AA, and D batteries.

Goals

To lower costs and reduce environmental impacts by minimizing the number of single-use batteries that are used, and their associated waste that is generated, in State operations.

Definitions

Battery - An electrochemical device with the ability to convert chemical energy to electrical energy to provide power to electronic devices.
Low Self Discharge - Technology that allows a rechargeable battery to hold onto its charge for a long period of time while not in use.
mAh - A unit of measure for electrical power over time. It is used to describe the amount of energy a battery can store at a time.
Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) Battery - A battery that uses nickel metal hydride chemistry as a means to store energy.
Rechargeable Battery - A battery that can be reused once its energy content has been depleted by being recharged in a charger.
Rechargeable Battery Charger - A unit that is plugged into a wall outlet that rechargeable batteries can be placed in to be recharged.
Single Use Alkaline Battery - A battery that uses alkaline chemistry to store energy and can only be used once.

Specifications

Minimizing the Purchase of Batteries:

All affected entities are encouraged to purchase electronic products that do not need batteries to operate if there is a viable alternative that does not require them. If an electronic product that an affected entity is purchasing does need to be powered by a battery, they are encouraged to purchase a model that includes a multi-use rechargeable battery.

Purchasing Rechargeable Batteries:

If an affected entity does need to procure AAA, AA, or D batteries, they are required to purchase rechargeable batteries for all uses other than in emergency or medical equipment and that meet the following specifications:

• Use a NiMH chemistry
• Use low self-discharge technology that ensures the battery:
  • Retains 80% of its charge after 1 year of storage; and
  • Retains 75% of its charge after 3 years of storage
• Are rated at a minimum amount of power of:
  • AA: 2000 mAh
  • AAA: 800 mAh
  • C: 5000 mAh
  • D: 8000 mAh
  • 9-volt: 175 mAh

Purchasing Rechargeable Battery Chargers:

All affected entities are encouraged to purchase rechargeable battery chargers that:

• Are capable of charging AAA, AA, and D batteries in a single unit.
• That charge batteries individually, rather than purchasing a paired or circuit station.
• Must be UL listed for shock resistance.
• Are RoHS compliant

Properly Disposing of Batteries at End of Life:

All affected entities are required to properly manage their AAA, AA, and D batteries at their end of life. Proper disposal is as follows:

• Single Use alkaline AAA, AA, and D batteries.
  • It is recommended that these are recycled.
    • You can find instructions on how to find a single use alkaline battery recycling program in the provided guidance.
• Rechargeable NiMH AAA, AA, and D batteries.
  • It is against the law to knowingly dispose of NiMH batteries in the garbage in New York State.
  • Instead, NiMH batteries must be recycled.
    • There are many free recycling programs that can be used to properly recycle NiMH batteries. You can find instructions on how to recycle NiMH batteries in the provided guidance.

Best Practices for Rechargeable Battery Use:

Affected entities are encouraged to use these best practices when using rechargeable batteries:

• Store batteries at room temperature.
• Even if the package says that a rechargeable battery is "pre-charged", charge it prior to the first use to ensure it is charged to 100%.

Packaging

Affected entities are encouraged to purchase batteries in the largest reasonable quantity at a time to minimize the amount of packaging required. In addition, packaging shall comply with Environmental Conservation Law section 37-0205. Packaging shall not contain inks, dyes, pigments, adhesives, stabilizers, or any other additives to which any lead, cadmium, mercury or hexavalent chromium is intentionally added or contain incidental concentrations of lead, cadmium, mercury or hexavalent chromium which together are greater than 100 parts per million by weight (0.01%).
New York State encourages affected entities to adopt the following:

• The use of bulk packaging
• The use of reusable packaging
• The use of innovative packaging that reduces the weight of packaging, reduces packaging waste or utilizes packaging that is a component of the product.
• That all packaging remain the property of the supplier and not become the property of the affected state entity under any circumstance or condition. The vendor shall certify that the packaging material will be reused, recycled, or composted, and managed in compliance with applicable local, state, and federal laws.
• Packaging that maximizes recycled content and/or meets or exceeds the minimum post-consumer content level for packaging in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines.
• Packaging that is recyclable or compostable.

Updated Specification Passed: December 14, 2022