Battery Facts

 

Take your dead batteries to East Central Recycling at 701 E. Centennial Ave.

  • 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.

Content on this page provided by Second Time Around – EPA Region 5 and Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Purdue University.