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Battery Recycling and Disposal Guide for Households
 | Environmental hazards of household batteries |
| Types of batteries |
| Rechargeable batteries (Nickel-Cadmium NiCd, Metal Anhydride, Lithium, etc.) |
| Summary table (the most useful part of this page) |
| Find a recycling location near you |
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. About three billion batteries are sold annually in the U.S. averaging about 32 per family or ten per person.
A battery is an electrochemical device with the ability to convert chemical energy to electrical energy to provide power to electronic devices. Batteries may contain cadmium, mercury, copper, zinc, lead, manganese, nickel, and lithium which may create a hazard when disposed incorrectly.
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. | |
In landfills, heavy metals have the potential to leach slowly into soil, groundwater or surface water. Dry cell batteries contribute about 88 percent of the total mercury and 50 percent of the cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. In the past, batteries accounted for nearly half of the mercury used in the United States and over half of the mercury and cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. When burned, some heavy metals such as mercury may vaporize and escape into the air, and cadmium and lead may end up in the ash.
Household Batteries
Controversy exists about reclaiming household batteries. Currently, most batteries collected through household battery collection programs are disposed of in hazardous waste landfills. Even stores and chains that have established take-back programs admit that it often ends up in the trash. There are no known recycling facilities in the U.S. that can practically and cost-effectively reclaim all types of household batteries, although facilities exist that reclaim some button batteries. Battery collection programs typically target button and nickel-cadmium batteries, but may collect all household batteries because of the consumers' difficulty in identifying battery types.Types and Uses of Household Batteries
- There are two types of batteries:
- (1) primary — those that can not be reused, and
- (2) secondary — those that can be reused.
- (1) primary — those that can not be reused, and
Primary batteries include alkaline/manganese, carbon-zinc, mercuric-oxide, zinc-air, silver-oxide, and other types of button batteries. Secondary batteries (rechargeable) include lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, and potentially nickel-hydrogen.
| Typical Types of Household Batteries | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Primary Cells (Nonrechargeable) | Common Uses | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Alkaline* | Cassettes players, radios, appliances | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Carbon-zinc | Flashlights, toys, etc. | Lithium | Cameras, calculators, watches, computers, etc. | Mercury | Hearing aids, pacemakers, cameras, calculators, watches, etc. | Silver | Hearing aids, watches, cameras, calculators | Zinc | Hearing aids, pagers |
Secondary Cells | (Rechargeable) Common Uses |
Nickel-cadmium | Cameras, rechargeable appliances such as portable power tools, hand held vacuums, etc. | Small sealed lead-acid | Camcorders, computers, portable radios and tape players, cellular phones, lawn mower starters, etc. |
*Some rechargeable alkaline batteries available. | | |||||||
BATTERY FACTS
 | A car battery contains 18 pounds of lead and one pound of sulfuric acid. | ||||||||||
| 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, thats 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, 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. | |
Source Reduction Changes in Household Batteries
Read labels. Mercury reduction in 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. 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.Mercuric-oxide batteries are being gradually replaced by new technology such as silver-oxide and zinc-air button batteries that contain less mercury.
Nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries are being researched. Alternatives such as cadmium free nickel and nickel-hydride system are being researched, but nickel-cadmium are unlikely to be totally replaced. Nickel-cadmium batteries can be reprocessed to reclaim the nickel. However, currently approximately 80 percent of all nickel-cadmium batteries are permanently sealed in appliances. Changing regulations may result in easier access to the nickel-cadmium batteries for recycling.
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
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.
Recycle and Disposal Methods
Recycle
Recycling used RECHARGEABLE household batteries is now possible! 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.
For more information about the program and the sponsors, click on Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation
If you can't find a location above:
Take the rechargeable batteries to any of the participating retailers. In the U.S.: Alltel, Batteries Plus, Best Buy, Black & Decker, Cingular Wireless, The Home Depot, Milwaukee Electric Tool, Orchard Supply, Porter Cable Service Center, RadioShack, Remington Product Company, Sears, Staples, Target, US Cellular, Verizon Wireless, and Wal-Mart. And in Canada: Battery Plus, Bell Mobility, Canadian Tire, FIDO/Microcell, Future Shop, The Home Depot, Home Hardware, London Drugs, Makita Factory Service Centers, Personal Edge/Centre du Rasoir, RadioShack Canada, Revy, Sasktel, Sears, The Sony Store, Telus Mobility and Zellers.
Use our
collection site locator, or call the consumer helpline, 1-800-8-BATTERY, to find
the retail collection site nearest you.
Non-rechargeable (typically "alkaline batteries") still don't have a recycler and general just must be disposed in the trash. If you have large quantities or are a business, talk with your permitted sanitary landfill operator (otherwise known as "sanitation services", the "dump" or "landfill"). Waste batteries should not be burned because of the metals, and they could explode. When burned, some heavy metals such as mercury may vaporize and escape into the air, and cadmium and lead may end up in the ash.
| Contact your local or county health department, waste disposal operator, extension educator, recycling facility, call the EPA Hotline and ask for a copy of the publication: "Used Dry Cell Batteries" - phone (800) 424-9346. This publication does not address nonhousehold waste battery sources such as medical, business, etc. |
Summary - Real Disposal and Recycling Methods
Check with your local solid waste management district (listed under County Government in your phone book) for any outlets for household battery recycling. See if your local jeweler, pharmacy or battery retailer will accept button batteries for recycling. Ohio EPA keeps a list of battery recycling and disposal companies on file; however, these companies are usually set up to serve industrial or municipal customers with bulk amounts of batteries rather than individuals.
Battery Type | Common Name | Sizes Available | Examples of Use | Proper Disposal |
| Alkaline Manganese | Coppertop, Alkaline | AAA, AA, C, D, 6V, 9V | Flashlights, calculators, toys, clocks, smoke alarms, remote controls | Place in the trash |
| Button | Mercuric Oxide, Silver Oxide, Lithium, Alkaline, Zinc-Air | Sizes vary | Watches, hearing aids, toys, greeting cards, remote controls | Bring to a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site |
| Carbon Zinc | "Classic", Heavy Duty, General Purpose, All Purpose, Power Cell | AAA, AA, C, D 6V, 9V | Flashlights, calculators, toys, clocks, smoke alarms, remote controls, transistor radios, garage door openers | Place in the trash |
| Lithium | Usually has "lithium" label on the battery | 3V, 6V, 3V button | Cameras, calculators, computer memory back-up, tennis shoes | To find a center near you that will take them, click here! |
| Nickel-Cadmium (Rechargeable) | Either unlabeled or labeled "Ni-Cd" | AAA, AA, C, D, 6V, 9V | Flashlights, toys, cellular phones, power tools, computer packs | To find a center near you that will take them, click here! or Bring to a Household HazardousWaste Collection Site |
| Reusable Alkaline Manganese (Rechargeable) | Renewal | AAA, AA, C, D | Flashlights, calculators, toys, clocks, radios, remote controls | Place in the trash |
| Sealed Lead Acid (Rechargeable)
| "Gel," VRB, AGM, Cyclone, El Power, Dynasty, Gates, Lithonia, Saft, Panasonic, Yuasa | Multiples of 2 Volts: 2V, 6V, 12V | Video cameras, power tools, wheelchairs, ATV's, metal detectors, clocks, cameras | To find a center near you that will take them, click here! Bring to a Household HazardousWaste Collection Site |
| Lead Acid Vehicle Batteries | Autozone, Sears Die Hard, Yuasa | 12V | Cars, trucks, motorcycles | Take back to place of purchase |
Copyright © 2004 EHSO All rights reserved.
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