Why Is It Bad To Throw Away Batteries. Look for an e-waste disposal site for these or donate them. Answer 1 of 5.

About two-thirds of US. Batteries contain lead nickel and mercury all of which can damage the environment when thrown away. The batteries in electronics like cell phones increasingly cannot be thrown away though this mandate varies by state.
Ref 1 Standard alkaline batteries are not considered hazardous waste in 2014 Ref 2 since they no longer contain mercury.
A new 250 battery. Why You Shouldnt Throw Lithium-Ion Batteries In Your Trash Can or Household Recycling Bin Lithium-ion batteries are considered hazardous universal waste. Ref 1 Standard alkaline batteries are not considered hazardous waste in 2014 Ref 2 since they no longer contain mercury. This is an interesting question that I had the opportunity to pose to a number of waste handlers in the course of my work a few years with a surprising number of different answers.

