Recycling Lead Acid Batteries

Lead acid batteries have been around since 1859, when they were invented by French physicist Gaston Plante, and are a highly recyclable product.

Did you know? Lead-acid batteries are 90-99% recyclable.

Scientists are constantly looking for more sustainable solutions toward a more earth-friendly future. Until then, we as consumers can still play our part in the journey towards a sustainable future by reducing, reusing, and recycling as much as possible. Car batteries are one of the most important components for recycling. Here’s why:

1. Keeps it out of landfill sites

If a battery is simply thrown away in your everyday rubbish collection, it ends up in a landfill site. The problem with this is that it eventually corrodes and starts to leak chemicals into the soil. These chemicals have a detrimental effect on the environment and to our health.

2. Health consciousness

Not recycling a battery means that chemicals can find their way into the ocean, in our food, and in our drinking water. The effects of lead in the human body is detrimental to good health, and exposure to high levels can cause kidney and brain damage, anaemia, and other problems. 

3. Limits the use of non-renewables

The production of batteries make use of raw materials such as nickel, lead, copper, and so on. These are non-renewable and can be expensive to mine, but by recycling every battery produced, a large percentage of resources can be saved.

4. Reduces battery costs

This is a major benefit to you as a motorist. The raw materials used in producing a battery can be recycled many times over – in fact, almost infinitely. Battery manufacturers can extract the raw materials to make new batteries, thereby closing the loop rather than continue with a make, use, and dispose system. This in turn will help reduce manufacturing costs and the price you ultimately have to pay.

Where to take your battery for recycling:

Recycling helps us move towards a goal of zero landfill, better health for the planet and those who live on it, and saving you money. There are many ways to dispose off your old car battery safely:

The easiest way is to give your old battery to AA Battery Service mobile vans or leave your old battery at your nearest AA Auto Centre when you buy a new battery.

We will keep your old car battery for recycling and offer you a rebate on the new one.

AA Battery Service is committed to help care for the environment. We are dedicated to supporting the recycling of all scrap batteries by rewarding AA Members and customers to do so.

We pay for the scrap and collect the batteries to ensure they are recycled responsibly and don't end up in landfill.

 

Feeling flat?

If you’re unlucky enough to experience a flat battery, AA Battery Service can come to you 24/7 and usually within the hour.