8549.14.00.00 - Unsorted and not containing lead, cadmium or mercury

This classification, HTS Code 8549.14.00.00, pertains to waste and scrap derived from primary cells, primary batteries, and electric accumulators that are unsorted and specifically *do not* contain lead, cadmium, or mercury. This designation is crucial for differentiating these materials from those that do contain these regulated heavy metals, impacting disposal, recycling, and international trade regulations. The items falling under this code are typically a heterogeneous mixture of discarded battery components and materials where specific sorting or material identification has not yet occurred, and the absence of lead, cadmium, and mercury is a defining characteristic.

It is important to distinguish this category from its sibling entries. Unlike 8549.11, it does not specifically cover waste from lead-acid accumulators. Furthermore, it differs from 8549.12, which includes waste containing lead, cadmium, or mercury. While 8549.13.00.00 covers sorted waste of this nature and free of these hazardous metals, this current category, 8549.14.00.00, explicitly addresses the *unsorted* form. The remaining sibling category, 8549.19.00.00, serves as a catch-all for other waste and scrap falling under the broader heading of primary cells and accumulators that do not fit the more specific subheadings.

As a leaf node within the HTS, HTS Code 8549.14.00.00 does not have further subcategories. Therefore, classification within this code relies entirely on meeting the criteria of being unsorted waste or scrap from primary cells, primary batteries, or electric accumulators, and critically, the absence of lead, cadmium, and mercury. Examples might include mixed plastic casings, electrolytes, and other internal components from various non-hazardous battery types before they have been separated by material composition or chemical type.