The average household uses 1.2 pounds of sealed cell batteries per      year. These batteries could be collected and recycled today for      approximately $2.00 per household per year. More than 100 million new lead batteries are manufactured in      North America each year, from waste lead acid batteries. All metal is infinitely recyclable. Ownership and any ongoing environmental liability are legally      transferred upon receipt of waste at a permitted facility in Ontario,      Canada. Although household batteries comprise a small fraction of 1%      of total trash in Municipal Landfills, they are responsible for between      50% and 70% of all heavy metals found in landfills (Mercury,      Cadmium, Lead). In North America, each year, consumers use approximately 200,000      tons of sealed cell batteries. Unfortunately, the huge majority ends up      in our unprotected Municipal Landfills. That is enough corrosive, heavy      metal(s) bearing waste to fill 10 Great Lake Freighters. In many recycling/blue box/municipal/commerical programs,      batteries are IGNORED! They are small, harmless looking time      bombs! Instead, concentration has been on positive valued recyclables      such as metal cans, paper and plastic. This may be the classic example      of "PENNY WISE AND POUND FOOLISH". All around the world, for decades, we have buried thousands of      tons of corrosive metals. Much of it from our households, into      unprotected Municipal Landfills. We have not yet seen all the      long-term effects from such practices. However, to continue the      practice is environmentally wrong. Not only is metal infinitely recyclable, but when recycled metal is      re-melted, energy savings of between 45% and 90% are realized,      compared to making metal from ore (range depending on metal      vis a vis % saved).