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An old battery: a hazard and a resource
Uzbekistan has 4.98 million vehicles, each with a lead battery. Why they need recycling and how it works.
As of 1 July 2026, Uzbekistan had 4.98 million registered vehicles, 563,000 of them in the Samarkand Region, and 345,000 more were added in a year. Each has a lead battery that is replaced every few years.
Why it is dangerous
- Lead: about 9.7 kg in one battery. Once it reaches soil and water it harms health, especially children’s.
- Sulphuric acid: discarded electrolyte poisons soil and groundwater.
- Plastic case: polypropylene does not break down for many years.
The answer: a closed loop
Controlled collection, separation, gas cleaning and recycling. The lead goes back into new batteries, the plastic becomes granules, and the acid is neutralised or turned into sodium sulphate. About 99 % of lead batteries are recycled in the US and Europe; Samarqand Taraqqiyoti is bringing that standard to Uzbekistan.
Sources: National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan (2026); Battery Council International.