Batteries

Everyday alkaline household batteries can be safely disposed of with normal household waste. Because used batteries are often not completely drained, grouping used batteries together can create safety risks. While disposing of alkaline batteries is safe, it takes up precious landfill space, so consider recycling them too! Over 350 million rechargeable batteries are purchased in the US each year. Rechargeable batteries, such as NI-cad (Ni-Cd) or small sealed lead-acid (SSLA) batteries, contain toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, and lead. These heavy metals present no threat to human health or the environment while being used, but they can cause serious harm to human health and the environment if discarded with ordinary waste.