Questions? FAQ > Residential Customers > Can I dispose of batteries?
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Car batteries are accepted for recycling at RDS. Our standard household garbage rates apply (5 cents per pound, $5.00 minimum charge). Please inform scalehouse staff when you come in if you have a car battery that you will be dropping off.
At this time we do not have a recycling program for other batteries.
More information regarding batteries from the Washington State Department of Ecology website:
Though it is possible to reclaim some metal from alkaline batteries, these batteries are not often recycled. Where they have been collected, it has generally been for disposal as a hazardous material. Mercury has been the ingredient of most concern in alkaline batteries. As currently manufactured, however, these batteries contain only a fraction of the mercury they once did. Many counties have therefore determined that the reduced risk in sending alkaline batteries to the landfill does not warrant the expense of collecting them for special disposal or recycling. You might consider switching to rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries, which are widely recycled--after being reused many times.