Batteries are manufactured and used by the millions. In the United States alone more than 3 billion batteries are sold each year. Batteries run our laptops, our toys, our cell phones, portable televisions, flashlights and much much more. The only problem with some batteries is that they contain heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and nickel that can contaminate the environment when they are not properly disposed of. If you burn or incinerate them, there are metals that could be released into the air or can concentrate in the ash produced by the burning process itself. And batteries can actually explode if they are put in a fire in a backyard bin. So the question is, how do you dispose of your batteries safely?

In the United States, many states have specific laws and how you deal with and dispose of your batteries. You should make sure you know your state or provincial requirements so you don't run afoul of the law. In California for example, it is against the law to dispose of batteries even in your everyday trash! It is illegal to do so. Fortunately there are ways that you can dispose of your batteries properly.

Many battery manufacturers actually will have sites where you can take your old batteries for disposal. If you search the Internet or call the manufacturer of your battery, they can direct you to the proper location. Many municipalities may have depots where you can dispose of your batteries properly. Call your local government offices to find out where the closest one to you so you can dispose of your batteries properly.

If you have a difficult time finding some way of disposing of your batteries then you might want to solve the problem by buying the right kind in the first place. For example, Alkaline batteries (with zero-added mercury) can be safely disposed of with normal household waste. Alkaline batteries are composed primarily of common metals (steel, zinc and manganese) and do not pose a health or environmental risk during normal use or disposal. Just make sure that you don't get rid of your alkaline batteries in one large amount. Used batteries are often not completely discharged or "dead." Disposing of a large amount of used batteries together can bring these "live" batteries into contact with each other which can result in a safety risk.

The other solution to your battery problem is to buy rechargeable batteries. You can recharge them a number of times rather than having to buy new ones and disposing of the old ones constantly. But even when you do have to get rid of rechargeable batteries they can be recycled. And we are fortunate today that many provinces and states have plans in place for rechargeable batteries. And a number of stores will accept your used rechargeable batteries when you by new ones. Among these retailers in Canada are (in alphabetical order):Battery Plus, Bell Mobility, Canadian Tire, FIDO/Microcell, Future Shop, The Home Depot, Home Hardware, London Drugs, Makita Factory Service Centers, Personal Edge/Centre du Rasoir, RadioShack Canada, Revy, Sasktel, Sears, The Sony Store, Telus Mobility and Zellers. For those of you inteh United States, the following stores will accept your batteries for disposal: Alltel, Batteries Plus, Best Buy, Black & Decker, Cingular Wireless, The Home Depot, RadioShack, Sears, Staples, Target, US Cellular, Verizon Wireless, and Wal-Mart. Take advantage of their generous offer.

You can show your concern for the environment and for the people living around you by disposing of your batteries properly. If each of us does our part, the world will be a better and safer place for our children. When you need to buy batteries then buy batteries online that you can dispose of easily.