Do You Know the Ways to Dispose an Alkaline Battery?

The alkaline battery may be considered as hazardous waste because of the materials of which they are made. The potassium hydroxide leaking out of the damaged or mishandled alkaline battery may cause severe chemical burns if the substance comes into contact with your skin or eyes. The lead and strong corrosive acids contained in alkaline battery are sure to cause some sort of problem to the environment and water bodies when disposed improperly. Improperly disposed batteries may produce hazardous problems such as causing burns or danger to eyes and skin, polluting lakes and streams when the metals in it vaporize into the air when burned, etc.

Before 1984 alkaline battery contains more mercury. Mercury reduction in batteries began in 1984. Newer alkaline batteries have zero-added mercury. Because of the mercury reduction, some landfill bans of alkaline batteries and recycling programs taking them have ceased. Anyway, it is advisable to dispose the alkaline battery in proper ways. The different ways of disposing the alkaline batteries are as follows:
Remove the worn-out batteries from the equipment immediately and dispose of promptly. Never dispose of batteries in the fire as the batteries can explode and cause injury to you and the environment.

The ways to dispose alkaline batteries are rapidly changing and the civic leaders or sanitation department will be the ones who know the best ways to dispose the batteries. You may call and seek the help and advice of the sanitation department of the community where you live or your local civic leaders. You should always check with your local government health department and solid waste or recycling department before you consider their disposal. When disposing of household alkaline battery, you can also check with your local and State Recycling or Household Hazardous Waste Coordinators.

You may throw the alkaline battery in your household trash. The alkaline batteries manufactured in US after May 1996 is said to contain zero-added mercury and are hence said to be less hazardous to the environment. So, in most parts of the US, the local hazardous waste offices have refused to accept batteries at hazardous waste drop-offs, and they direct people to put the alkaline battery in the regular garbage or household trash as the household alkaline batteries are not classified as hazardous waste.

You may throw the alkaline battery in the Battery Recycling Bin if there are rules for recycling alkaline batteries in your country. The batteries can be dropped through the small security hole in the top of the Battery Recycling Bin. Once full, the contents can be secured by locking down the outer security lid. The integral hand holes provided in the high strength double walls of the bin enable the fully loaded bin to be lifted ready for transit. Some places that take batteries for recycling have refuses to accept alkaline batteries in the Battery Recycling Bin or container and insist you to put them in the trash. Some web sites say reports that companies that take all kinds of batteries actually just sort and ship the alkaline batteries for storage and do not recycle them. Some websites say that no companies will recycle alkaline batteries and that the companies will only toss them.