Civil Enforcement

More than 350 million rechargeable batteries are purchased annually in the United States. Rechargeable batteries contain toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, and lead. These batteries can cause serious harm to human health and the environment if they are discarded with ordinary household or workplace waste. By promoting the recycling and proper disposal of rechargeable batteries, these heavy metals will not make their way into the food chain via landfill disposal or incineration.

EPA is developing its Battery Act Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Program priorities. One of the first priorities is to distribute information on Battery Act requirements to the public, battery industry, and battery trade associations as part of the Agency's outreach activities. This goal has been accomplished in part by publication of a Battery Act Enforcement Alert and by periodically updating this web site.

The identification of the manufacturers, importers, and retailers of mercury-containing batteries is a major program priority. After accomplishing this goal, a strategy for encouraging the phase-out of mercury-containing batteries can be developed. The phase-out of mercury containing batteries in the future will help keep mercury from entering the food chain and water supplies where it available to produce adverse health effects in humans.

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