Disposal of 83,500 pounds of batteries used every year in the United States concerns many state energy conservation agencies since most batteries contain mercury or other toxins which pose environmental and health threats to the air and water.

Acid from broken batteries may leak into groundwater supplies when stored in a landfill, said state Department of Environmental Resources Spokesman Dan Nguen. Incineration of batteries that are not totally discharged releases dangerous toxins into the air, he added.

Despite concern over public health risks and a state law that says batteries must be disposed of properly, the state provides no pick- up system or convenient service for public battery disposal, said Jerry Lyons, of Lyons' Salvage, Bellefonte.

Lyons' Salvage is one of the few centers in the county where people can take used batteries. Lyons' takes about 20 tons of disposed batteries a year to a recycling plant in Scranton.

Lyons said there "isn't a whole lot of money in it," and few companies are willing to provide this service. He added it should be the state government's responsibility to provide the service since "they made the law."

However, Nguen said although a pick-up system "would be beneficial," the service would fall under municipal, not state, authority, and therefore, funding.

Recycling the batteries would reduce the number of batteries that are incinerated or disposed of in landfills, according to information released by Southeastern Development Association of the Council of Governments. SEDA-COG is a group of state environmental agencies that distributes information on energy conservation.

Despite the law, many batteries end up in landfills anyway, according to SEDA-COG.

Nguen said sometimes retailers are willing to dispose of dead batteries, but often do not accept them unless a new battery is being purchased.

According to SEDA-COG, the average U.S. household discards 1.7 pounds of batteries every year.