30 million tons of solid waste are discarded by Texas residents each year. The majority is residential waste, at 63%, while the rest is commercial and institutional. Many early landfills were not designed to prevent rainwater from seeping into aquifers. While some newer landfills may have liners to prevent water contamination, leaks may still occur. When coatings fail, they pollute lakes and rivers by allowing lead and battery acid to contaminate the water. 88% of the mercury in waterways is due to dry batteries and 50% is due to cadmium. Mercury exposed to the environment can allow toxic vapors to reside in that area for many years. Recycling batteries can prevent some of these harmful metals from contaminating our landfills. Most common household batteries are AAA, AA, C, D, 9V and button cell batteries or "dry cell batteries". 3 million of these batteries are purchased every year. These are typically disposable alkaline batteries. They are mainly used for flashlights, toys, remote controls and watches. The batteries in these devices are replaced quite frequently and most of the time they are thrown in the garbage instead of being recycled. The recycled battery no. 1 is the lead-acid automotive battery with a 98% recycling rate. Due to state law, automotive lead-acid battery retailers accept used batteries for recycling. New batteries are made up of 60% to 80% recycled batteries, and the rest is used to make plastic products. Non-automotive lead-acid batteries such as gel cells and sealed lead-acid batteries are most commonly used in alarm systems, emergency lighting, and industrial equipment. Most auto shops will also accept these types of batteries for recycling or they can be…half paper…just plain. So please stop and think before you throw away your used batteries, this is what you are drinking, bathing and giving to your children. Instead, if you dispose of batteries, collect and recycle them and next time you go to buy batteries, consider getting rechargeable batteries. Bibliography Battery Solutions - www.batteryrecycling.com/regulationsBatteries Common Wastes and Materials/ US EPA www.epa.gov/osw/ conserve/materials/battery.htmRecycling/ GS Battery (USA), Inc- www.gsbattery.com/content /recyclingHow to recycle batteries - Battery University- http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/artical/recycling_batteries Materials used for rechargeable batteries ehow- www.ehow.com/about_6170008_matreials-used-rechargeable-batteries.htmlUS Federal Recycling Law of batteries ehow-www.ehow.com/list_7541286_federal-laws-battery-recycling.html