In response to the writer concerned about battery disposal, virtually all lead-acid batteries are for vehicles, and any store that sells these batteries will include a “core charge,” which is returned to buyer when the old battery is returned for recycling.

That core charge is typically $20 for typical automotive-size batteries. Lead-acid battery recycling has a very high percentage of recycling, including the lead, electrolyte and battery cases.

The use of lead-acid batteries for portable tools has become obsolete; these applications are now all lithium-based chemistry, and there is at least one collection site in Kahului for these batteries.

Suggested reading: mauicounty.gov/recycle.

H. David Hultquist

Kula