ST. LOUIS -- Billions of discarded household batteries make their way into landfills every year, and now, one of the nation's largest battery makers says it is putting some of them to good use.
Suburban St. Louis-based Energizer Holdings last week introduced Energizer EcoAdvanced, described as the first disposable AA and AAA alkaline batteries made with material from recycled batteries.
The recycled materials will comprise about 4 percent of the weight of the new batteries, but the company is aiming for 40 percent by 2025 and hopes to eventually include other battery sizes.
Energizer EcoAdvanced was expected on store shelves nationwide last week and internationally later this year. An ad campaign featuring the Energizer Bunny is also planned.
Michelle Atkinson, chief marketing officer and vice president for Energizer, said the new battery, which will cost 25 to 30 percent more than standard batteries, will last longer than any alkaline battery produced by the company.
There was a time when discarded batteries were a significant environmental concern. A law passed in 1996 phased out the use of mercury in batteries. Today, household alkaline batteries are typically thrown out with other trash. Roughly 5 billion batteries are sold each year in the U.S., Atkinson said.
Recycling is common among some types of batteries -- 96 percent of all lead-acid batteries are recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Those include automobile batteries. Meanwhile, a nonprofit called the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. recycles four kinds of rechargeable batteries: nickel-cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium ion and small-sealed lead.