AAA asks Colorado motorists to recycle used batteries at Great Battery Roundup

DENVER, April 17 — This Saturday, April 19, in conjunction with Earth Day, three AAA Battery Service contractors across the Front Range will hold the annual Great Battery Roundup to collect used car batteries for proper disposal and recycling.

Locations for this year’s event are Mike’s Conoco at 4880 Federal Blvd. in Denver, Marv’s Quality Towing at 4790 Pearl St. in Boulder and Auto Towing at 50 Cascade Court in Colorado Springs.

“We see a lot of dead batteries with the extreme temperatures that are common in Colorado in the winter and summer,” said Scott Soper, AAA Colorado Manager of Battery Services. “Unfortunately, some motorists who work on their own vehicles do not properly dispose of used batteries, which can severely damage the environment. We hope this Saturday, motorists with old batteries will take this opportunity to dispose of them for free.”

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more than 100 million automotive lead-acid batteries are produced annually in the United States. About 97 percent of lead in spent batteries is recyclable, but an estimated 5 million batteries are not recycled each year. Each battery contains, on average, 21 pounds of lead, three pounds of plastic and one gallon of sulfuric acid. Improper disposal can put toxic substances into landfills, and subsequently into the groundwater.

This is the eighth consecutive year AAA has organized a Great Battery Roundup across America in observance of Earth Day. All used batteries collected by the AAA Battery Service are disposed of safely. Combined, roundup batteries and those collected and recycled as part of the ongoing mobile battery replacement services exceed 1 million.

AAA Colorado has more than 500,000 members in Colorado and is an advocate for safety and security for all travelers. As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides nearly 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services, as well as member-exclusive savings. AAA can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com.