Recycling Batteries - Easier Than You Thought

When thinking of recycling, do batteries come to mind? Probably not! Don't worry, most people don't think of them either. In fact, I'm willing to bet they would only mention glass, aluminum, paper or plastic. The truth of the matter is, battery recycling is one of the most important items to recycle. Check out our video about recycling batteries to learn why.

Batteries and The Impact on Our Environment

An average American home has 21 battery-operated devices. Only 1 in 6 American homes; however, will recycle. Leaving more than 2 billion batteries left in landfills and garages. An average of 179K tons are thrown out each year, of which, 14K tons are rechargeable. Between USA and UK, approximately 48.5 million pounds of batteries are sent to landfills. Leaking their toxic chemicals into our soil and drink water. Leaving a huge environmental impact for generations to come to contend with. There is something that you can do now to combat this growing problem. [Source]

What Types of Batteries Are Recyclable

Majority of batteries are recyclable. Some are a little more difficult than other. Batteries contain a variety of recyclable ingredients such as plastic, metal and chemical compounds. According to Michael Dinielli, CEO of BatteriesInAFlash.com, Inc, "If it's Rechargeable, then it's Recyclable." Batteries that can be recycled are Ni-MH, Ni-Cd, Lithium-ion and more. These chemistries are common in batteries for cordless phones, cellphones, cordless tools, laptops, dog collars and more.

Where Can I Recycle Batteries

Finding a participating recycle drop off location is simple. In the Las Vegas area BatteriesInAFlash is a designated drop-off for sealed lead acid, marine, car, rechargeable and more. If your outside of Las Vegas, use Call2Recycle to find a drop-off location in your neighborhood. On their website you will enter your zipcode and the results will show you the closest location to you. A simple strategy to make it effortless, is to gather all your batteries for recycle until the end of the month and then drop them all off at one time.

Recycle Nation is another great source for finding recycling locations for batteries and other material like construction materials, automotive fluids and parts and others.