Chuck, I think your fears can be alleviated, at least a bit because there is a lot of money to be make recycling automotive parts. I imagine Toyota is making a small fortune having folks just give them these batteries back(Well, for $200 bucks) Plus they look like are a green company as well.
I have seen somewheres(History Channel???) a program showing how recyclers are able to separate everything,I mean everything, plastics, all the many types of metals in products, etc, etc...wait...it may have been a show on tearing down old buildings, and how they reuse the older bricks from these factories, copper piping, wiring, on and on.
Plus, the recycling industry has to follow environmental rules for disposing of what can't be reused.
I agree with Conrad, you may believe or not, but over here stealing copper from railroad crossing, I think they use big transformer for it, is getting a lucrative activity. When the villains and the thiefs are entering in an economic process (recycling), you can be sure that it worths it.