It’s time to clean out your garage! Held in conjunction with Earth Day, the AAA Great Battery Roundup is designed to encourage motorists to take old automotive or marine lead-acid batteries to a local collection point where they can be safely recycled and formed into new batteries. AAA Western and Central New York are hosting a convenient program once again this year with
multiple battery collection points. AAA will also donate proceeds to planting trees in Western and Central New York.
Each year, approximately 97 percent of vehicle batteries are recycled. However, the remaining 3 percent adds up to millions of pounds of lead and gallons of sulfuric acid. These can be discharged into the environment, creating health and safety hazards for humans and animals, as well as potential fire hazards
Motorists can take part in AAA Western and Central New York’s free lead-based battery recycling – any brand or type of lead-acid or AGM batteries will be accepted, including car, boat and RV batteries, however, lithium batteries are not eligible. Unless otherwise noted below, drop-off hours are Monday, April 22, through Wednesday, April 24, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Lead-acid batteries are considered hazardous material. Anyone handling a battery should wear protective eyewear and gloves. Proper handling prevents injuries. Because they can leak and emit hydrogen gas, batteries should not be exposed to an open flame.
- If improperly stored, a battery may leak, causing sulfuric acid burns and even explosions. Dumping an old battery can also hurt your pocketbook. Many states hand out tough fines and jail time for discarding lead-acid batteries anywhere other than an authorized collection or recycling center.
Batteries are a recycling success story.
- An automotive battery contains about 21 pounds of lead, three pounds of plastic and one gallon of sulfuric acid. When a spent battery is recycled, lead is re-smelted into new battery plates, acid is neutralized and reclaimed, and plastic is used to make new battery cases
- The lead-acid battery industry was an early innovator of “closed loop” recycling and remains a leader in this efficient, economical process. This process reclaims materials from spent batteries and uses them in the production of new units.
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Lead costs are on the rise, so recycling spent batteries not only protects the environment but also reclaims valuable lead and plastic for manufacturing, saving energy and money on raw materials.