By law, you are supposed to recycle NiCad battereis but I don't think there is anything horrible in NiMH packs. That is why they are still available and NiCds are not. Radio Shack has always been my location of choice. I remember worrying while driving down there, piles of old packs bouncing against each other, whether they were charge or not. What irony if you burned up your 1:1 trying to get rid of the batteries.