Monroe County Indiana Solid Waste Management District - Recycling, Waste Management, Green Business, Adopt-A-Road, Hazardous Waste, Environmental Education

ACCEPTED AT CENTRAL RECYCLING & REUSE AND RURAL RECYCLING SITES
Click here for information about these locations.

There are several types of household batteries currently on the market: alkaline, mercury, lithium, rechargeable nickel cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, lithium ion, and the new rechargeable alkaline battery. These batteries contain such metals as mercury, cadmium, lithium, and copper. All of these metals pose a potential threat to our health and environment if they are improperly disposed of by dumping or burning. Recycle household batteries!

WHAT BATTERIES CAN BE RECYCLED, AND WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM?
• Dry Cell
• All household batteries
• Alkaline
• Nickel-Cadmium
• Nickel-Metal Hydride
• Silver Oxide
• Mercury
• Lithium
• Lithium-Ion
• Lead Acid

All household batteries can be recycled! The metals in household batteries can be reclaimed and used in other products. See Automotive and Petroleum Products for auto battery information.

Alkaline batteries are the most common household battery and include AA, AAA, C, D, 9 volt, and lantern type batteries. In spite of recent reductions in mercury content, alkaline batteries still contribute a significant amount of mercury to the waste stream.

Button batteries are so-called because of their size and shape. They are used in watches, cameras, calculators, hearing aids, and electronic games. Mercuric oxide and silver oxide are their primary components.

Rechargeable batteries can be reused many times, but they do eventually wear out. These batteries can be recycled with your other household batteries. The new rechargeable alkaline battery has the advantage that it contains no added cadmium.

WHY RECYCLE BATTERIES?
Thirty-five percent of all background mercury comes from incinerating batteries with your household garbage.

Mercury and mercury compounds in batteries are highly toxic to people, wildlife, and the environment. Health risks associated with mercury include kidney damage and genetic, neurological, and psychological disorders. Cadmium is a confirmed human carcinogen and is poisonous when ingested or inhaled.

Collecting household batteries for recycling keeps the metals out of landfills, burn barrels, and incinerators. It reduces our exposure to these metals, and it reclaims a valuable resource.

WHAT CAN I DO?
• Use solar powered products whenever possible.
• Plug in an AC/DC adapter when you can.
• Use rechargeable batteries, especially the new alkaline rechargeables.
• Recycle all your household batteries at your local collection site.
• Pass the word about battery collection in the county.

DON'T BE PART OF THE PROBLEM - BE PART OF THE SOLUTION
BATTERY FACTS!
Each household in the U.S. discards an estimated 2 pounds of batteries annually - that's 2.5 million pounds of batteries entering the waste stream each year.
Household batteries account for over half of the cadmium and most of the mercury in our trash. The dumping and burning of household batteries is partially responsible for the contamination of fish, soil, air, and ground water in Indiana.