Have you noticed recently that your vehicle takes longer than normal to start? If so, it might be time to replace the battery, and with it comes the unavoidable question of car battery disposal. Proper understanding of your vehicle’s system and the battery is the most important thing when it comes to disposing of your old accumulator.
The proper working condition of your vehicle is crucial when it comes to driving. This is especially important if you’re commuting daily or planning long-distance relocation with auto transport. We all know that every driver’s biggest fear is that the car won’t start. And if you haven’t done a free battery check-up recently, you can’t have an idea how much life is left inside it.
So, to avoid driving stress, or even worse, driving anxiety, and to provide you with a peace of mind, we’ve prepared an ultimate guide on how to properly dispose and recycle old car batteries ahead of time. You know how the saying goes – prevention is better than cure.
A car battery or automotive battery is an energy storage device that stores its energy in chemical form. Simply put, it supplies electrical current to a motor vehicle. Battery’s main purpose is to feed the starter, which starts the engine. Here comes the importance of your accumulator – once the engine is running, your vehicle keeps getting the necessary power from the battery thanks to the alternator charging. Now when we determined the importance of batteries, let’s go a little further and find out how they work.
The most common is the flooded lead-acid battery with a nominal voltage of 12 volts. It is a rechargeable acid battery and can be found in cars, light trucks, and vans. Batteries with a smaller voltage (6 V) are used on motorcycles, while those of 24 V are made for heavy trucks, special and military equipment.
How do they work?
The answer is simple – after your vehicle started, your battery converts chemical energy into the electrical power necessary to start your car. It delivers voltage to the starter. And this works smoothly as long as your accumulator is in good condition. Unfortunately, many factors can affect your battery’s health.
There are four main factors that can kill off your accumulator:
Still, keep in mind that short trips can also kill your accumulator because the generator doesn’t run long enough to charge it fully. Of course, don’t forget about the average battery life – three to five years. That being said, batteries die over time, and their lifespan might be even shorter if you’re in an area exposed to cold winters.
So, how do you know your accumulator may need replacement?
Fortunately, some indications and symptoms can warn you in time:
What to do with a dead or worn-out accumulator? Should you just throw it away in the trash? Or maybe in a landfill or a river?
We mentioned that a typical car battery consists of lead plates and sulfuric acid. Since this metal is very toxic heavy metal, it can severely affect our environment and contaminate the soil and groundwater. Even more, lead poisoning in children can seriously harm their health, including:
Luckily, according to the National Recycling Rate Study, 99% of lead batteries in the US are recycled and are the most recycled consumer product in the country.
If you’re facing the old or dead accumulator, you’re probably wondering How to dispose of a car battery? As we mentioned before, it mustn’t be thrown with the rest of your trash. This is even regulated by law. So, like it or not, your accumulator requires some special treatment at the end of its life cycle. Follow our steps, and you’ll become a real expert in replacing your worn out accumulator:
When it comes to reusing old batteries, they must be recycled in properly equipped facilities, such as a garage or local recycling center. These places will accept your worn-out accumulator while you purchase the new one providing you with the discount as well. You can also check with an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) – they accept scrap cars and handle dead accumulators.
If you’re wondering, Does AutoZone take old car batteries, the answer is yes – every AutoZone store accepts them for recycling. So, if there is any store near you, head to the closest AutoZone, ask for details, and recycle today!
If it happens that you’ve misplaced your receipt for your new accumulator and can’t get your core chargeback from the retailer, you can always head to scrap metal services near you. They will buy the dead accumulator from you.
Sometimes, it happens this service is not available in your surrounding area, and it might cross your mind the question, Does Home Depot take old car batteries? They take batteries that weigh less than 11 pounds and that are under 300 watt hours.
Although 99% of lead-acid batteries are recycled, about 1.8 million used batteries are not properly recycled every year. That’s why recyclers are important factors in environmental protection.
What do they do with your dead accumulator to make the world that surrounds us greener?
They put your battery through a hammermill, break it, melt plastic and metal parts, while the acid is converted into sodium sulfate. Each part is used for other components for new accumulators and liquids are used in different manufacturing industries.
The lead, plastic, and acid components are reprocessed and manufactured into many other products, such as cabling, detergents, or road signs. Let’s find out more about components reusing and what advantages it can bring:
If you’re wondering what are the benefits of reusing on a global level, here are the most important ones:
In California, batteries are considered dangerous waste when they are discarded. According to the hazardous waste regulations, there is a category of dangerous waste called “universal waste.” It includes batteries, cathode ray tubes, instruments with mercury, fluorescent lamps, etc. So, whether you’re in search of local options or recycling solutions for businesses, there are plenty of locations that convert waste into reusable material:
Since California regulations require reusing for more types of batteries than other states, the Golden State is a bit unique. However, battery manufacturers have funded joint recycling centers all over the country. If you want to find the location near you, visit Call2recycle and find a recycling center.
Speaking about accumulator recycling, here is a brief description of how each of the main components, including the chemistry, is reused:
Your accumulator undergoes severe temperature fluctuations during its lifespan. Hot and cold weather can have a negative impact on your battery. Furthermore, when you’re not using your vehicle for several days, it can rapidly lose the accumulator’s charge. Sometimes, this might go beyond the minimum level of charge required to start the car. If this happens more than once, your accumulator’s condition gets worse, and your car becomes vulnerable to sudden breakdown.
So, how to keep your accumulator healthy and delay its disposal as long as possible?
Here are some handy tips:
After you’ve done all diagnoses, tests, and inspections of your vehicle, you can move a car to another state peacefully. Depending on the type of car shipping you search for, contact your car shipping company – it will provide you with all the necessary weather- and price-related information. If you’re shipping car cross country, you might choose enclosed auto transport and protect your vehicle from the heat or extreme cold.
Whatever option you choose, you can rest assured that your car will reach your future destination in good overall physical condition, due to disposing of the old accumulator and recycling it properly. Simply put, if you’ve packed all your belongings, gathered all the necessary papers, and prepared your car for auto transport, that can mean only one: you’re ready to say hello to your new place.
