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Recycling: What About Alkaline Batteries?

recyclebattery.org

It's something you use every day: for flashlights, TV remotes, and kids toys - we're talking about alkaline batteries.  If you have ever thought twice about throwing them in the trash... you may be right.

For most of the country alkaline or household batteries are the orphans of the recycling world. These batteries used to contain mercury, but now they don't. Federal regulators say what's in the batteries is not hazardous so most local health departments don't accept them for recycling.   Matt Eberly of Batteries Plus Bulbs, a national chain that recycles all types of batteries, says there is no lead or nickel cadmium in household batteries that you find in rechargeable batteries.  

About 4 million alkaline batteries are shipped to stores in the United States every year.  Most of those batteries are thrown in the garbage and end up in a landfill.  California is the only state that bans alkaline batteries from being thrown away in household trash.   Rick Braush is with California's Toxic Control agency.  He says zinc, commonly found in household batteries, isn't dangerous in drinking water, but if it leaks out of landfills and into groundwater it can cause death to aquatic life including fish.

An industry group is working to make recycling of alkaline batteries more commonplace. The Corporation for Battery Recycling was established in 2011 and is supported by Duracell, Energizer and Panasonic. Its mission is to maximize reuse of spent battery materials with a goal of zero waste over time.  Marc Boolish heads the group. He says there is a lot of pressure to not put anything in landfills and to increase sustainability. He says they want to find a way to recycle common batteries that is environmentally beneficial and economically viable.  The industry group is now working to get legislation passed in several states to set up recycling programs for alkaline batteries. 

More information on the Corporation for Battery Recycling is available at www.recyclebattery.org.  You can find out more about California's effort to recycle household batteries at www.calrecycle.ca.gov.   There are also a number of companies which charge to recycle your batteries and other wastes via the mail through the use of special containers.  One such company is www.lamprecycling.com.

Eileen Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Radio-Television at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
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