Discarding car battery
Vehicle owners should safely dispose of their used car batteries. (Photo Credits)
Cars need to replace their batteries regularly. And while for most people who send their cars to auto shops for battery replacement, those who choose to replace their car batteries on their own have to deal with disposing of the used car battery.
Discarding car batteries is not as simple as putting it into the trash or the curb for pick-up. It has to be done safely and appropriately so that the disposal would not harm the environment. Vehicle owners have several safe options to junk their used car batteries.
The State of California has regulations in place when it comes to disposing of used car batteries among other types of batteries. For those used in vehicles, they insist that it has to be recycled.
“All batteries are considered hazardous waste in California when they are discarded. This includes all batteries of sizes AAA, AA, C, D, button cell, 9 Volt, and all other batteries, both rechargeable and single use. All batteries must be recycled, or taken to a household hazardous waste disposal facility, a universal waste handler (e.g., storage facility or broker), or an authorized recycling facility.”
The full guidelines have been posted here.
Danger to the environment and human health
Sciencing.com has cited some of the negative impacts that could occur if used car batteries have not been recycled or correctly disposed of. In their article, they mentioned the harsh environmental effects, plus the damaging impacts on the overall health of improper battery disposal.
“When thrown in the household trash, batteries end up in landfills. As the battery casing corrodes, chemicals leach into the soil and make their way into our water supply. Eventually, they reach the ocean. Also, lithium in batteries reacts in a volatile way when exposed. According to Battery University, lithium can cause landfill fires that can burn underground for years. This releases toxic chemicals into the air, which increases the potential for human exposure.”
The full write-up can be found here.
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Car Maintenance website YourMechanic.com has mentioned several options available for car owners looking to dispose of their used car batteries. In their online article, they cautioned every car owner about junking or throwing away used batteries in the dumpster, given its harmful effects to the environment.
“Use your local phone book, or use an online search engine such as Google to find locations near you that accept car batteries for recycling. Sometimes your local dump or department of sanitation will have a recycling program for hazardous or toxic materials, but call and make sure they take used batteries before bringing it in. You can’t simply throw the battery in your recycling bin. If you do a quick search online, some recycling programs offer pick-up services for certain hazardous materials.”
The continuation of the full write-up can be found here.
When disposing of used car batteries, it is best to follow guidelines and regulations to avoid penalties and adverse effects on the environment and human health.