Recycle Old Batteries
Recycling vehicle batteries can save resources and avoid polluting the environment. But instead of recycling vehicle batteries, each year more than five million batteries are illegally disposed of in landfills or abandoned where they could contaminate soil and groundwater, explode in a fire, or become a source of lead poisoning to humans and animals.
Almost ninety-nine percent of a vehicle battery can be recycled and used again without removing new lead, or other natural resources from the environment, according to Triple-A. And it is illegal to dispose of a vehicle battery with household waste.
When it is time to buy a new battery, ask the technician who replaces your battery if the service center will recycle the old battery for you. To recycle an old battery, check to see if your city offers a center for hazardous waste disposal. Or check with garages, scrap metal facilities and other auto centers about battery recycling.
Wear gloves and safety glasses when handling batteries, keep them upright and place batteries in a cardboard box or plastic container when transporting them for recycling. If the battery case is cracked or leaking, choose a leak-proof container. Do not smoke near or expose batteries to an open flame, and make certain they will not shift and tip over in a moving vehicle. Battery recycling is one way you can help reduce toxins in the air and water.