The good news, according to Carl Smith, CEO and president of Call2Recycle, a leading battery stewardship program, is that most Americans live within a short drive of a collection point that will take the batteries that post the greatest risk. Earth Day is a great opportunity to reflect on your environmental footprint and take steps to build new habits that will lessen your impact throughout the year.
Adding batteries to the list of products you recycle is a great way to do that. Car batteries, rechargeable batteries including the one in the back of your cell phone, AAs, 9-volts, and the like , and even button cell watch batteries contain heavy metals and other toxic chemicals. Recycling batteries like these ensures that the internal materials are handled with care, lessens the need for mining, and is often required by law. They used to contain mercury quite often, but battery manufacturers essentially stopped using the element after congress stepped in to regulate the industry in the s.
If you want to store your batteries with the care of a scientist, Dickerson says, one of the safest options is to hold onto the original packing and reuse it to house the spent batteries. Twenty-two states have laws that mandate specific disposal methods for consumers.
California is the most strict. But many others require consumers to recycle rechargeable batteries. For up-to-date information on the laws in your state, consult this map created by Call2Recycle.
The website for your local government is a great place to start. Many municipalities host collection events for hazardous waste and electronics. Some also have permanent drop-off facilities. A few states—including New York and Minnesota—require retailers that sell certain batteries to collect them for recycling.
Others insist that battery manufacturers fund or organize battery collection programs. A clickable map at TIA E-cycling Central lists recycling events by state, along with other local recycling options. Earth and Call2Recycle also have a tool to help locate recycling drop-off points, allowing you to search for collections by battery type. Before you head to a collection site, though, make sure the organizers will accept the kind of battery you want to recycle.
Button cell batteries are often easy to get rid of, too, and some manufacturers offer mail-in recycling programs. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Humanities The U. Government U. Foreign Policy U. Liberal Politics U. Selected EarthTalk columns are reprinted by permission of the editors of E. Updated September 03, Cite this Article Format. Talk, Earth. Should Batteries Be Tossed or Recycled? An Overview of Municipal Waste and Landfills.
The Dangers of Reusing Plastic Bottles. Do Biodegradable Items Degrade in Landfills? A Guide to Mercury Applications in Metalurgy.
Recycling Plastic Lids and Bottle Caps. Technology has advanced to the point now however that single-use batteries can be recycled in a cost effective manner. We should recycle all batteries. But if you talk to your local solid waste department, you may be instructed to put alkaline batteries in with your regular trash. This is partly due to the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act passed in that phased out the use of mercury in alkaline batteries, making them less of an issue when disposed in landfills.
Having trouble finding a local recycler? Check out the Big Green Box mail-in option! Skip to content. How to Recycle Single-Use Batteries.
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