When it’s time to get rid of the batteries, start by checking local ordinances. “You can use a permanent marker to mark the old batteries so you don’t get them confused with the new ones,” he says. If you want to store your batteries with the care of a scientist, Dickerson says, one of the safest options is to hold on to the original packing and reuse it to house the spent batteries. Store them in a secure container that keeps them lined up side-by-side, so the contact points can’t touch each other or brush up against anything that’s metallic or conductive. Old batteries might not generate enough energy to power a device, but they could still spark a fire if they’re not handled carefully. “What you shouldn’t do is take your batteries and toss them haphazardly into a bag, or store them in a metal container,” CR’s Dickerson says. When you’re collecting and storing old batteries for recycling, you should take a few precautions. It’s easy to get them confused with more sensitive batteries-and even alkaline batteries have recoverable materials. Today’s primary batteries are relatively benign, but that doesn’t mean you should just throw them away. Mercury used to be a typical ingredient in primary batteries, but thanks to regulations in the 1990s, battery manufacturers essentially stopped using the hazardous element. By comparison, primary batteries-those designed to be used once, such as disposable alkaline AA batteries-aren’t quite as dangerous. Recycling batteries like these is often required by law. There are significant differences among the batteries that run a TV remote, that power your car’s starter, and everything in between.Ĭar batteries, rechargeable batteries (including AA, 9-volt, the one in the back of your cell phone, and the like), and even button cell watch batteries contain heavy metals and other toxic chemicals. It’s that simple-however, the consequences of improper disposal can be a much bigger deal, depending on the battery. If it’s a battery, just recycle it and let us take care of sorting them and making sure they get dealt with in the right way.” “It’s not necessary for consumers to understand every type of battery,” Raudys says. People are doing their part: Call2Recycle saw a big increase in battery recycling during the course of the pandemic, and the organization collected 8.1 million pounds of batteries in 2021.Īdding batteries to the list of products you recycle is a great way to lower your environmental footprint, and it’s easier than you think. The good news, according to Raudys, is that most Americans live within a short drive of a collection point that will take the batteries that post the greatest environmental risk.

The more chemicals like nickel, lithium, and cobalt we can recover from consumer waste, the less we have to mine. “The materials needed to power a green energy economy are a lot of the same stuff you find in these batteries,” says Leo Raudys, CEO and president of Call2Recycle, a leading battery stewardship program. There’s an added benefit, and it’s not just about pollution, either. And depending on where you live and the batteries in question, it may be illegal to put them in the trash. Improperly thrown out batteries can even short-circuit, overheat, and cause a fire. If your old batteries end up in a landfill, pollutants like these can leak out and contaminate groundwater, damage fragile ecosystems, and potentially make their way into the food chain. Think cadmium, lead, lithium, or sulfuric acid. Most batteries-regardless of type-contain toxic chemicals.

Are duracell batteries alkaline