Batteries! They are in everything. How to dispose of them.

Did you know that the city of Alameda has a battery recycling program?


This was part of a discussion thread that I and Michelle Kuttner started on the Alameda-Schools-Go-Green discussion group. Here is what I found out that I didn't know about 
our own Alameda battery disposal programs.

This was sent along by Kerry Parker who administers the program for the city.

Thanks to Michele Kuttner at Bay Farm Elementary, I have been talking

a lot about AUSD battery recycling over the last 24 hours!  :)  I

currently administer the City of Alameda's battery recycling program

in town, and with the recent addition of the new Pagano's Hardware

Mart at Alameda Towne Centre, there are now 11 convenient locations

already set up in Alameda to receive your spent batteries and dispose

of them safely:

- City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Ave - 1st floor at stairwell

- City Hall West, 950 W. Mall Square (Alameda Point) - 1st floor

lobby

- Main Library, 1550 Oak St - 1st floor copy room

- Mastick Senior Center, 1155 Santa Clara Ave - Main admin office

- Alameda Municipal Power, 2000 Grand St. - Lobby

- Maintenance Service Center, 1616 Fortmann Way - Front office

- Alameda County Industries (ACI), 2307 Blanding Ave, Suite B - Front

office

- Pagano's Hardware Mart, 1100 Lincoln Ave - Back of store

- Pagano's Hardware Mart, Alameda Towne Centre - Back of store

- Encinal Hardware, 2801 Encinal Ave - Near front of store, on isle

- CVS/Pharmacy (Bay Farm), 885-A Island Dr - Photo desk will take

them

Now why you should not just throw them in the trash.
I took this from the ehso.com website from their page on battery disposal.


People are using more and more household batteries. The average person owns about two button batteries, ten normal (A, AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, etc.) batteries, and throws out about eight household batteries per year. About three billion batteries are sold annually in the U.S. averaging about 32 per family or ten per person. A battery is an electrochemical device with the ability to convert chemical energy to electrical energy to provide power to electronic devices. Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which can contaminate the environment when batteries are improperly disposed of. When incinerated, certain metals might be released into the air or can concentrate in the ash produced by the combustion process.

Batteries may produce the following potential problems or hazards:

	Pollute the lakes and streams as the metals vaporize into the air when burned.
	Contribute to heavy metals that potentially may leach from solid waste landfills.
	Expose the environment and water to lead and acid.
	Contain strong corrosive acids.
	May cause burns or danger to eyes and skin.

In landfills, heavy metals have the potential to leach slowly into soil, groundwater or surface water. Dry cell batteries contribute about 88 percent of the total mercury and 50 percent of the cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. In the past, batteries accounted for nearly half of the mercury used in the United States and over half of the mercury and cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. When burned, some heavy metals such as mercury may vaporize and escape into the air, and cadmium and lead may end up in the ash.