It’s estimated that Americans throw out three billion batteries each year. Those batteries wind up in landfills where they can become damaging to the environment. When exposed to the elements, the heavy metals used to make batteries leach toxic chemicals into the ground and ultimately groundwater.
Rechargeable Means Recycleable
When thinking about what batteries to buy, consider this: rechargeable batteries are easy to recycle, while household batteries are not. Some businesses offer recovery for household batteries, but free recycling locations are hard to find. Recycling your rechargeable batteries not only avoids landfill, but also repurposes metals and other materials, reducing the need for new raw materials.
Battery recycling makes sense on so many levels and The Home Depot is making it easy. At the entrance of every Home Depot store is a recycling station where we accept batteries, CFL bulbs and plastic shopping bags. We’ve partnered with Call2Recycle, a nonprofit battery recycling program to provide this service to customers and to do our part in keeping the batteries we sell out of landfills.
So, don’t throw away those old rechargeable batteries. Bring them with you on your next shopping trip and recycle them at The Home Depot.
Here’s what you need to know:
- The Home Depot recycles the following batteries:
- Any rechargeable battery that weighs up to 11 pounds and is under 300 watt hours
- Auto/tractor batteries including rechargeable NiCad, rechargeable nickel, metal hydride, rechargeable lithium-ion, lithium single-use button, rechargeable small/sealed lead acid batteries
- Non-leaking batteries can be dropped off in Call2Recycle bins at the store.
- Place your batteries in the plastic bags provided and drop them in the bin.
- There is no charge for recycling.
The Impact of Recycling
In 2022, The Home Depot recycled 180,000 lead-acid batteries.
The same year, we recycled 1,300,000 pounds of rechargeable batteries.
