Battery Recycling/Disposal

BATTERY RECYCLING/DISPOSAL

SOLID WASTE SECTION

WHY SHOULD I RECYCLE? Lead-acid batteries According to the Rechargeable Battery Recycling This includes most car and motorcycle batteries. Corporation (RBRC), consumers use an average of six Lead-acid batteries contain an average of 17.5 pounds of wireless products in their daily lives and cell phones are lead and 1.5 gallons of sulfuric acid. replaced every 18 to 24 months, all of which contain Improperly disposed lead-acid batteries. The US Environmental Protection Agency batteries can corrode and release lead estimates that there are currently 100 million cell phones and sulfuric acid. Iowa State law ready for end of life management. This adds up to a prohibits landfilling lead-acid considerable waste stream issue. The benefits of getting batteries. Retailers are required to into the recycling stream include: accept a used battery when a new one is purchased. Some retailers are willing to accept lead-acid batteries even when one is not purchased. Visit the  Conserves natural resources. Valuable materials Automotive Products Disposal Directory at recovered from old electronics such as copper, www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/LandStewardship/WasteManage aluminum, and even gold, can be used to ment/Recycling/AutoDirectory.aspx manufacture new products. In doing so, we reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce pollution, save Nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries energy and water, and save natural resources by These are the most common type of rechargeable battery extracting less from the earth. and they can be found in cellular phones, equipment, and  Protects your communities. Proper management toys. Ni-cad batteries contain regulated through recycling eliminates materials such as lead, amounts of cadmium and should be mercury, arsenic, and cadmium from entering your recycled or handled as hazardous waste. waterways or contaminating land resources and Recycling is the best option from both an protects your health economical and environmental standpoint. The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Alkaline, carbon- Corporation can provide you with a place zinc (heavy duty), near you to recycle your batteries and cell and zinc-air phones. Go to www.rbrc.com batteries FACT These are the typical Every year in the world 15 BILLION batteries are non-rechargeable manufactured. batteries that most people use. They are nonhazardous, but for best disposal choices, see recycling options under recycling RECYCLING OPTIONS AND INFORMATION information.  www.call2recycle.org

 www.rbrc.com Button batteries  www.batteryrecycling.com These batteries are found in  Earth911.com watches, calculators, hearing aids,  Your local regional collection center etc. Button batteries often contain mercury, silver, or lithium, and should be managed for proper disposal or www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/HouseholdHazar dousMaterials/RegionalCollectionCenters.aspx recycling.

*TIP- buy rechargeable batteries, they last longer! Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 502 E. 9th St. Des Moines, IA 50319 | (515) 725-8200