Monday is Earth Day and AAA of Western and Central New York is using this as a reminder to clean out your garage.

You're encouraged to find old automotive or marine lead-acid batteries and take them to a collection point. This way they can be recycled safely. Lithium batteries are not eligible.

All proceeds made from these collections will go toward planting trees across the state.

You can find collection points at the following locations:

Buffalo:

  • AAA Western New York Fleet Operations, 505 Duke Rd., Suite 500, Cheektowaga
  • Bellreng’s Towing and Automotive, 2131 Eggert Rd., Amherst
  • Transit Auto & Detail, 1721 Transit Rd., Elma
  • MONDAY 4/22 ONLY: AAA Amherst Branch, 100 International Drive, Amherst

Rochester: 

  • Griff’s Auto Service, 55 Cedarfield Commons, Rochester
  • Action Towing, 275 Marketplace, Rochester

Syracuse: 

  • AAA Central New York Fleet Operations, 6601 Towpath Rd., East Syracuse
  • Chandler Automotive, 6745 Route 31, Cicero
Other locations:
  • Ithaca: Koskinens, 2037 E Shore Dr., Lansing
  • Auburn: Harry’s Tire, 142 Grant Ave., Auburn
  • Watertown: Precision Towing & Auto Worx, 342 Factory St., Watertown
  • Canton: Johnson Towing & Auto Repair, 6385 US Highway 11, Canton 
  • Bath: Fleet Pride, 7244 Route 415, Bath
  • Penn Yan: Daggett’s, 1692 Route 14, Penn Yan

Lead-acid batteries are considered hazardous material. If improperly stored, a battery may leak, causing sulfuric acid burns and even explosions

Disposing of an old batter improperly can also have an impact on your wallet. Many states hand out tough fines and jail time for discarding lead-acid batteries anywhere other than an authorized collection or recycling center.