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Hi Chris,
Happy New Year.
Best advice is to definitely call your Council as they will have processes in place.
The processing facility may not necessarily be at the same place as your tip,
so it is as good idea to call them before making the drive.
Under both Federal and State laws, old lead-acid batteries are classified as
"Hazardous Waste" and therefore they have to be disposed of differently
to general waste.
Here in Hornsby Shire in the north of Sydney, old lead acid batteries are handled
as hazardous waste and the council provides a bi-annual service where one takes
waste such as lead acid batteries and chemicals to a purpose built facility where
workers wearing protective gear separate the waste and put it in purpose built
containers. Hornsby Council does not permit batteries being put out the front
for the general b-annual pickup nor is it permissible to put them in the red
garbage bin.
Apart from the hazard of the acid, the lead itself is an acutely toxic compound
and it is important that it does not enter the land fill.
There are many hazards in leaving them out the front to get scavenged.
Apart from the risk to the people handling them and not taking proper precautions
and burning themselves or their family members with acids and exposing
themselves to concentrations of lead, there is always the chance that some
may then get illegally dumped in the bush or farmland, so it is best to be
sure that who you handed them over to is going to do the right thing with them.
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