AAA INCREASES BATTERY RECYCLING EFFORTS
Helena, Mont, 04/22/2011 – AAA and its team of battery service professionals want the public's help in hunting down what is estimated to be more than five million used, lead-acid car, truck, boat, and motorcycle batteries that have not made their way back to their natural habitat: the recycling plant.
The car battery, a renewable source of vehicle power, contains lead that is 97 percent recyclable. Yet AAA says millions of these batteries never get a new chance at life because they've gotten lost in the shuffle.
“AAA is on a mission to educate the public on the potential dangers of having old lead acid batteries in our living areas while also encouraging battery recycling," said Tara Hanley, AAA Spokeswoman. “We want to do our part with the Great Battery Roundup campaign.” Throughout the year, used car batteries will be collected by a number of AAA Approved Auto Repair facilities.
Some of these old batteries are being illegally disposed of in dumpsters or are simply placed in consumer's garages, yards or storage sheds awaiting disposal. Therefore, AAA wants to encourage more people to take the step of getting these batteries to a recycling center.
Recycling batteries can also play an important role in keeping the prices of new batteries down. This is because recycled lead costs less than fresh lead that is mined.
“The typical new lead acid battery contains 60 to 80 percent recycled lead and plastic, which saves money and energy on raw materials and protects the natural resources in the environment,” added Hanley.
Leaking acid from these old acid batteries can be harmful to children, pets and our environment warns AAA. Therefore, AAA recommends that consumers wear gloves and safety glasses when handling batteries, keep them upright and place batteries in a sturdy box or plastic container when transporting them for recycling.
If the battery case is cracked or leaking, be especially careful to choose a leak-proof container. Do not smoke near or expose the batteries to an open flame, and make certain they will not shift and tip over in a moving vehicle.
Doing its part to help save and protect Mother Earth year-round, the mobile battery services program operated by AAA have collectively sold and recycled more than two million batteries since their launch in 1997.
For more information on AAA’s programs such as AAA’s Great Battery Roundup® and for a complete list of participating AAR facilities, please visit www.AAA.com.
AAA MountainWest is dedicated to providing its over 178,000 members in Alaska, Montana and Wyoming with travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services. A fully tax-paying, not-for-profit corporation, AAA MountainWest, Inc. works for the improvement of motoring and traveling conditions and is a leader for travel, civic and safety issues. AAA can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com. To have up-to-date news and safety information from AAA delivered right to your desktop, sign-up for the new RSS Feed at http://mtw.aaashare.com/index.php#rss.
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