Key players in the mainland's vehicle battery industry are urging the authorities to issue specific rules governing the recycling of batteries as a way to protect the environment and make the industry more sustainable.
Kenneth Yeng, a vice-president and general manager of Johnson Controls' power solutions operations, said it was trying to understand mainland market conditions with a view to promoting "a well-regulated and efficient recycling system for used vehicle batteries".
"This is no easy job, but we hope to bring our expertise and technologies to China with support from the local governments," he said.
Milwaukee-headquartered Johnson Controls is the world's largest manufacturer and recycler of conventional vehicle batteries, and it sold more than a third of the world's vehicle batteries last year.
Although the mainland is the world's largest car market, it lacks a recycling system for car batteries, with most used batteries collected by small, unlicensed vendors who recklessly dispose of them after selling the lead to other manufacturers.
Yeng said such unregulated disposal led to the dumping of hazardous waste, which would eventually spur the government into action.
In the United States, more than 90 per cent of lead-acid car batteries are collected by the makers themselves for recycling.