AAA Announces Year Round Battery Recycling Program

AAA Northern California announced today they will extend their popular battery recycling program to a year-round schedule in celebration of Earth Day on Wednesday. The “AAA Battery Roundup” recycling program will allow people to drop off their old automotive, motorcycle, RV and marine batteries at the more than 100 drop-off locations in northern California all year long, AAA said in a statement.

According to AAA, car batteries contain dangerous substances like lead and sulfuric acid. When not disposed of properly, batteries can leak into groundwater, cause chemical burns, fires or lead poisoning, the company said. If processed in an appropriate fashion, AAA says almost 100 percent of each battery can be recycled. From 2010-2014, the program has collected 709,000 batteries, according to AAA. From 2001-2009, the company said it recycled 468,500 batteries, totaling in 8.4 million pounds of lead, 1.4 million pounds of plastic and 468,500 gallons of sulfuric acid recycled.

“This program allows AAA to continue to play an important role in keeping local communities safe and protecting our fragile environment,” Cynthia Harris, a spokeswoman for AAA said in a statement.

Additionally, the company said it will provide on-location assistance to AAA members by the battery service team, which includes testing, replacing and recycling old batteries. AAA said it urges caution when bringing batteries to the drop-off locations.

Tips include wearing gloves and safety glasses when handling batteries, placing them upright in a cardboard box or plastic container and making sure they don’t tip over when inside a moving vehicle. For a list of the drop-off centers, visit aaa.com/viabattery.

By Bay City News

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