If you are having a difficult time finding out what to do with used batteries and where you can take them to be recycled or safely treated and disposed, then you should find a solution on this page.
Whether you have a AAA, AA, C, D, watch, button, hearing aid or car battery, there is a solution.
Environmental Hazards of Batteries
People are using more and more household batteries. The average person owns about two button batteries, ten normal (A, AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, etc.) batteries, and throws out about eight household batteries per year.
Batteries may produce the following potential problems or hazards:
- Pollute the lakes and streams as the metals vaporize into the air when burned.
- Contribute to heavy metals that potentially may leach from solid waste landfills.
- Expose the environment and water to lead and acid.
- Contain strong corrosive acids.
- May cause burns or danger to eyes and skin.
Battery Facts and Stats:Consumption
- Americans purchase nearly 3 billion dry-cell batteries every year to power radios, toys, cellular phones, watches, laptop computers, and portable power tools.
- Inside a battery, heavy metals react with chemical electrolyte to produce the battery's power.
- Wet-cell batteries, which contain a liquid electrolyte, commonly power automobiles, boats, or motorcycles.
- Nearly 99 million wet-cell lead-acid car batteries are manufactured each year.
- A car battery contains 18 pounds of lead and one pound of sulfuric acid.
Recycling and Disposal
- Mercury was phased out of certain types of batteries in conjunction with the "Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act," passed in 1996.
- Recycling batteries keeps heavy metals out of landfills and the air. Recycling saves resources because recovered plastic and metals can be used to make new batteries.
- Household batteries contribute many potentially hazardous compounds to the municipal solid waste stream, including zinc, lead, nickel, alkalines, manganese, cadmium, silver, and mercury.
- In 1989, 621.2 tons of household batteries were disposed of in the US, that's double the amount discarded in 1970.
- In 1986, 138,000 tons of lead-acid batteries were disposed of in the US
- Regular flashlight batteries can be disposed of in the trash (generally, some states, like California, have more restrictive rules) , though it is best to take them to a recycler.
- Mercury-oxide and silver-oxide button batteries are often collected by jewelers, pharmacies, and hearing-aid stores who sell them to companies that reclaim the metals.
- In 1993, 80 to 95% of automobile batteries were recycled
What you can do
Batteries are constantly being reformulated - check the labels
Source Reduction Changes in Household Batteries
Read labels. Mercury reduction in ordinary alkaline batteries began in 1984 and continues today. During the last five years, the industry has reduced the total amount of mercury usage by about 86 percent. Since 1992 most alkaline batteries are manufactured with "no mercury added". Some batteries such as the alkaline battery have had about a 97 percent mercury reduction in the product. Newer alkaline batteries may contain about one-tenth the amount of mercury previously contained in the typical alkaline battery. Some alkaline batteries have zero-added mercury, and several mercury-free, heavy-duty, carbon-zinc batteries are on the market.
Prevention of Household Battery Waste
To reduce waste, start with prevention. Starting with prevention creates less or no leftover waste to become potentially hazardous waste. The following are steps to take to prevent household battery waste.
- Check to see if you already have the batteries on hand before buying more.
- When suited to the task buy hand operated items that function without batteries.
- Look for the batteries that have less mercury and heavy metals.
- Consider rechargeable batteries for some needs, but remember that they also contain heavy metals such as nickel-cadmium.
Rechargeable batteries result in a longer life span and use fewer batteries. However rechargeable batteries still contain heavy metals such as nickel-cadmium. When disposing of rechargeable batteries, recycle if possible.
The use of rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries can reduce the number of batteries entering the waste stream, but may increase the amount of heavy metals entering the waste stream unless they are more effectively recycled. As of 1992, the percentage of cadmium in nickel-cadmium batteries was higher than the percentage of mercury in alkaline batteries, so substitution might only replace one heavy metal for another, and rechargeable batteries do use energy resources in recharging.
Rechargeable alkaline batteries are available along with rechargers.
Where to Recycle Your Batteries
Recycling of non rechargeable batteries is still somewhat rare, but recycling used RECHARGEABLE household batteries is now possible! The battery manufacturers have funded a joint recycling center. To find a center near you that will take them, click here! (in the US or Canada))( Which types do they take? Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-ion), and Small Sealed Lead* (Pb) rechargeable batteries are commonly found in cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, digital cameras, two-way radios, camcorders and remote control toys.
Note that California is a bit of a special case. California regulations require recycling for more types of batteries than other states. See this page for detailed information about how and where to recycle batteries in California.
For more information about the program and the sponsors, click on Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation.
Related Link
batteryrecycling.com
If you are interested in obtaining more information, please check the source link.
Source ehso.com
