Scrap Batteries Are Dangerous

Here is a tip to anyone who has had their head stuck in the sand for decades: car batteries can and should be recycled. Old, worn-out batteries are one of the great polluters in our modern society, and yet yearly hundreds of thousands of them are discarded in empty lots or thrown into rivers or bays.

Scrap batteries need to be properly recycled and if you are a non-believer of that principle, read on.

There are over 99 million lead-acid batteries manufactured each year. Each car battery contains twenty-one pounds of lead and a gallon of sulfuric acid. Besides those startling figures, each battery also contains mercury, cadmium and nickel, heavy metals which are dangerous to the environment and all living things.

When discarded improperly batteries will leak their contents into the ground, thus affecting soil and water supply. Because this whole Earth is interconnected, bad soil and water means poor growth of plants which means less oxygen which means less breathing for humans and animals. Acids and heavy metals in the water supply means, well, death if consumed by humans or animals. The plastics in the battery will not naturally break down over time, thus leaving potentially dangerous shells sitting around creating havoc to the environment. There really is no way to put a positive spin on not recycling a battery. But there is definitely a positive spin regarding properly recycling a scrap battery.

Obviously, recycling a scrap battery keeps its contents out of the water table and earth, thus eliminating the possibility of air, water, and soil pollution. Cleaner air, water, and soil mean healthier animals, plant life and humans. Also, by taking your battery to a scrapyard you are allowing those heavy metals inside the battery to be used again, thus lessening the impact of more mining and deforestation.

Currently 36 states have mandatory battery recycling laws. The obvious solution for car owners faced with a useless battery is to take the scrap to a salvage yard and, get this, sell it for cash. Now we have your attention. Many recycling centers will pay cash for a scrap battery. They then crush the battery into tiny pieces, separate the heavy metals and use them again, and the plastic is melted down to be used again in the manufacturing of new batteries. The scrap metal and the melted plastic earns the scrapyards money, helps to save the environment, makes money for the battery owner, and makes a whole bunch of happy plants and animals on the planet. Such a cool solution!