Source: U.S. EPA
Every year in the United States, millions of single use and rechargeable batteries are bought, used and recycled or disposed of in the trash. Batteries come in various chemistries, types and sizes to fit their use.
Batteries are manufactured using different mixtures of chemical elements designed to meet customers’ power and performance needs. Batteries can contain metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, nickel and silver, which can pose a threat to human health or the environment when improperly managed at the end of their service life. Battery types are identified by marking and labeling, not by the battery’s shape or the color of the label.
Some batteries may also contain materials such as cobalt, lithium and graphite that are considered critical minerals by the United States Geological Survey. Critical minerals are raw materials that are economically and strategically important to the United States and have a high supply risk potential and for which there are no easy substitutes. Every effort should be made to recycle and recover these materials.
Once a battery is no longer useful, the type and chemistry of the battery determines which of the various waste management options to use. It is important to manage batteries correctly according to their type because some batteries can cause a risk to safety and health if mismanaged at the end of their lives. U.S. EPA has a chart that describes different types of household batteries and the metals they contain.
What happens to batteries after you drop them off at a collection site? They begin a fascinating journey through the recycling process, with the metal and chemical byproducts eventually winding up in new products and the remaining waste safely disposed of according to international recycling standards. Learn more about what happens to batteries after they're collected at the links below.