Nine volt batteries are commonly used in smoke detectors, portable radios and small clocks. They contain toxic materials, according to Earth911.com, so it is better for the environment if they are disposed of at businesses that recycle them.
Recycling Process
Nine volt batteries may contain the toxic heavy metals cadmium, mercury and nickel. Recycling facilities use a thermal recovery process to separate the metals so that they can be reused.
Local Recycling
Earth911 has a locator on their website that provides a list of recycling locations for different types of batteries for a given city or zip code.
Rechargeable Batteries
One way to reduce the need to dispose of batteries is to purchase rechargeable batteries, which have a much longer life. The Call2Recycle website lists by zip code more than 30,000 places that recycle rechargeable batteries.
Retailers
Many retailers have bins where they collect batteries for recycling including the Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowe's, RadioShack, Office Depot, Sears, Staples and Target.
Safe Recycling
Many recyclers require that each battery be placed in a separate plastic bag, or if a bag is not available, the battery terminals are covered with masking, electrical, or duct tape before they are placed in a recycling bin.
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