Why does it cost so much to properly recycle alkaline batteries?

Lynn W asked:


I can only find drop-off locations for rechargeable batteries. I’ve found two places online where you buy a box (cheapest I found was $27), then ship them the batteries off. I want to do the right thing, but paying to throw something away just rubs me the wrong way. Am I being cheap? I guess I’ll try and just buy rechargeable from now on.