Battery recycling

Many batteries are thrown away in regular waste after they have been used. Battery recycling is a name of the process of separately collecting such batteries so that they can be disposed of properly. Batteries contain metals such as lead, copper or zinc. In the form that is used in the batteries, these metals are very harmful to the environment - most are toxic. Collecting the batteries allows the extraction of some of the metals, which can then be re-used, not thrown away. The parts that cannot be extracted or re-used are disposed of in a way that is less harmful to the environment. For this reason, many countries have rules that say that a given percentage of all batteries must be re-cycled.

Different kinds of old batteries
A worker is recycling the lead from batteries.

Battery composition by type

Italics designates button cell types.
Bold designates secondary types.
All figures are percentages; due to rounding they may not add up to exactly 100.

Type[1] FeMnNiZnHgLiAgCdCoAlPbOtherKOHPaperPlasticAlkaliCAcidsWaterOther
Alkaline24.822.30.514.91.312.25.43.710.114
Zinc-carbon16.81519.40.10.80.7469.212.315.2
Lithium5019127219
Mercury-oxide3711143123137
Zinc-air42351441103
Lithium6018133213
Alkaline37231110.6622614
Silver oxide422290.4314210.524
Nickel-cadmium352215102511
NiMH2013514109488
Li-ion223185111328
Lead-acid65410165

References
  1. Fisher, Karen (18 Oct 2006), Battery Waste Management: Life Cycle Assessment (PDF), Erika Wallén, Pieter Paul Laenen and Michael Collins, Environmental Resources Management, archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2013, retrieved 11 November 2013
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