Do You Throw Batteries Away?

Updated on August 01, 2011
T.C. asks from Des Moines, IA
20 answers

Okay, this is a strange question. Do you throw batteries away? If not then what are you supposed to do with them. We had been using rechargeable for a long time, then they stopped holding their charge and our charger went out. Since then we have just been using the non-chargeable kind. So my question is, what do I do with all of these old batteries, rechargeable and regular? I try to be green if possible, so if you know of an environmentally friendly way to dispose of them, that's what I would prefer.

thanks mommas!

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Featured Answers

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

I am bad, I throw them away. If Troy catches me he stops me. :( I think even Wal Mart has a collection place, just google it.

Other than the battery issue I am very environmental it is just the kids go through so many of them and I don't want the old ones mixed up with the new ones. I used to use rechargeable but they kept taking their toys to their dads who would throw out my rechargeable batteries so I gave up, it was too expensive.

2 moms found this helpful
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V.M.

answers from Cleveland on

great question. hubby tosses them in the trash, If i see them i grab them and have a container of them int he basement but i don't know what to do to get rid of them. ugg. I don't need environmental guilt I have enough other guilt.

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More Answers

M..

answers from Detroit on

Yeah. Your not supposed to?? : /

2 moms found this helpful

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

for some reason - you aren't supposed to throw them away - just like those new light bulbs that the Govt and "green" people are forcing us to buy....

We put ours in the recycling bin...maybe wrong - who knows!!

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T.R.

answers from Orlando on

You can search for drop off locations by zip code, here's a link.
http://www.call2recycle.org/

** In the state of Florida, it's actually illegal to throw them in the trash, not many people know this. I would imagine many states have this law, I would check out your state Department of Environmental Protection website.

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M.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

No I don't throw them away. I put them off to the side until I have several of them and take them to Home Depot. They have a big garbage can in the front entrance to collect batteries for recycling. I use rechargeable AAs but recycle the rest...we don't want these eroding in a dump.

1 mom found this helpful

M.S.

answers from Omaha on

Thanks for asking this question. I had wondered that myself and just did not feel right putting them in the trash. I see there are places you can drop them off at which I didn't know anything about.

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B.P.

answers from New York on

Up until recently I didn't know. You are definetly NOT supposed to throw them in the garbage. They have lots of bad stuff in them. I know I have thrown a lot away and I feel bad. :( You can take them to any Lowes or Home Depot. Lots of hadware stores take them too. You are supposed to do the same withe .the "squiggly" bulbs. Did you know if you break one you have to leave the room for a while because they have lots of bad stuff in them like mercury. Considering that lots of people don't know this, they don't seem so environmentally sound, do they?

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S.B.

answers from San Diego on

Your really not supposed to throw batteries away... the battery acid leaks over time and it's toxic for the environment. In my area, there are electronic waste disposal sites that rotate around town. I save all my batteries and then dispose of there. You should check online for this kind of a thing in your area. And then try and move on to rechargeables... they work great for most of my childs toys (some won't take them, though). And over time it saves money in our pockets!

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

They go in my trash with the rest of my trash. Sorry!

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C.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

Here are the locations for disposing of batteres in Des Moines: http://batteries.wastefuldisposal.com/iowa/des-moines-ia

Here is some more information on battery recycling and why it's important: http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/batteries.php.

Mommas who are not recycling, come on! You can do it. Obviously you're already online, just take a minute to Google recycling in your area. Get an ice cream bucket or plastic container. Put a hole in the top. When it gets full, take it to the recycling center. It's not hard and you're saving your community's drinking water.

Unless you like the idea of lead getting into your children's or grandchildren's developing nervous system.

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M.J.

answers from Sacramento on

Our city has drop-off locations for batteries. We take ours with us when we go to the library and put them in a special bin there.

P.W.

answers from Dallas on

I save them in a container and take them to the toxic dump on occasion. I try to use re-chargeable or no battery items.

do a google search on your city or go to the city website. I'm sure you have drop-off events for toxic items. Most cities do now.

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C.B.

answers from Boston on

your town hall will have info on where to dispose them. We have a bin where they can be dropped off to keep them out of land fills where they leach their chemicals into our drinking water.

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M.L.

answers from Colorado Springs on

We live near a battery store where they're both sold and collected. The folks there told me that alkaline batteries (like the ones in a flashlight) cannot be recycled but can be tossed safely. Other types of batteries need to be turned in for recycling.

And yes, there is a special procedure for disposing of squiggly bulbs. I'm sure the instructions are online!

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J.F.

answers from Omaha on

Please recycle them! Most Best Buy stores accept them as do many Targets.

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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

We take them to Lowes when we are stopping by the shop. They have a collection spot on site.

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L.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

Recycle here too. I have a small box that I toss old batteries in and when it fills, I drop them off at Best Buy.

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E.N.

answers from Minneapolis on

NO!!!! We are in the same boat as you; tried to do rechargables until it got to the point where the batteries barely lasted a day, so we gave up.

Shame on anyone who throws them in the trash!

It's too easy to recycle them to not do it, and it's a big harm on the environment. I'm pretty sure that it's illegal to throw them in the trash where we live. Because of that, we can recycle them with our trash service. But, even if we couldn't, I would take them to Target to recycle them.

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J.B.

answers from Green Bay on

We do not throw our batteries in the trash. We use an ice cream bucket with a hole cut in the top of the lid to toss them in. When it gets full, I will bring them to a place that will dispose of them correctly. I haven't brought them in yet & I'm not sure of all the places but I believe I saw on a commercial that our Batteries Plus store will take them.
You shouldn't toss the energy saving light bulbs either. I'm pretty sure I saw once that Home Depot will take them so they may take the batteries, as well!

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