The Truth Behind Auto Battery Recycling


Unless you are one of those people who never deal with the regular maintenance of your car or simply don't pay attention to what the mechanic tells you, let's make something very clear right now. As a vehicle owner, taking care of auto battery recycling is one of the most important responsibilities you have. A lot of people aren't acquainted with the ins and outs of this aspect of auto care. Before you can really understand why auto battery recycling is so important, you have to know why these used batteries can be dangerous and how to take care of their disposal safely.

Let's start with what not to do when your car battery dies and you need a new one. It's not very complicated to change a car battery. If you are taking care of this of task yourself, its imperative that you not throw the battery in your regular garbage. It's a safe bet your garbage collector won't pick it up. You also don't want to put it in with your recyclables. Auto battery recycling is more than possible, but your car battery needs a totally different recycling center than your paper and plastics. Take a look at why you have to send your car battery to a different location.

You may not realize it, but the average vehicle battery, even when it is no longer viable, still contains about 21 pounds of lead. The average recycling center isn't equipped to take care of that kind of toxin. In addition to the lead, the battery also has roughly three pounds of plastics and a gallon of sulfuric acid. This is not the kind of thing you want to dispose of improperly. As any car or truck mechanic can tell you, if treated incorrectly all of those ingredients can be dangerous.

On the up side, just about every part of a car battery can be recycled. Part of the auto battery recycling process includes using the lead again in a new battery. The plastic compounds are usually used in other products. It simply can't stand up to the abuse of life as a car battery again, but it can definitely be of use in other applications. Like the lead, the sulfuric acid is cleaned and refined for use in new vehicle batteries.

You have a couple of different options when it comes to auto battery recycling. You can both take your car to a reputable auto shop and have your battery replaced there. The employees will know exactly how to dispose of the old battery properly. If you plan to do it yourself, your local recycling plant is likely to have information about where you can drop off the used battery for recycling purposes.