By Bryan Noonan
Zbattery.com
March 23, 2004

It's true, even if you don't consider yourself an environmentalist, you've probably at least wondered what batteries are doing to our environment. Which ones should you throw away, and which types can you recycle?
Good questions...

Here's what you can and SHOULD recycle:
Any rechargeable battery, including -
* Li-Ion (like laptop, camcorder, and cell phone batteries, etc.)
* NiMH (like cell phone, camera, camcorder and standard sizes, etc.)
* NiCad (like standard sizes, power tools, camera, etc.)
* Sealed Lead Acid (scooter, home alarm, back up UPS units, etc.)
* Any wet acid battery, like car or tractor batteries.

So, where do you recycle these batteries?
You can find a location near you that participates in the rechargeable battery recycling program. Just go here: http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/dropoff/index.php
and enter your zipcode to find the nearest location. You'll be surprised at who participates...

And what about those disposable alkaline or other chemistry batteries?

The US Government says they are safe to dispose of in household garbage. Of course, if you're still concerned about the effect of this waste on the environment, it might be the right time for you to switch to rechargeable batteries. You can use them over and over again and then recycle them when you're done.