That's interesting, I couldn't find any reference to that statistic. I've seen estimates in the range of 60-80% recycled content for new lead batteries in the US, but that data seems pretty shaky.

I have seen statistics around a recycling rate of 99% or higher in the US, but also that much of that is done in Mexico or other places with very weak environmental and occupational regulations.

In any case, lead poisoning is a very serious problem which is exacerbated by lead recycling and production.

Take a look at the domestic manufacturers, such as East Penn, and you find that they have their own recycling plants and they charge their customers money when they don't receive a scrap battery on purchase of a new one. They also own most of the distributors of their batteries which run trucks to their customers.

The lead acid battery industry is incredibly competitive and prices unbelievably low due to this vertical integration and mechanized production. Pretty much the only way to beat the U.S. car battery prices is to subsidize (Korea) or pollute like hell (Mexico).

The U.S. is a net importer of lead, largely because all of the SLA batteries coming in from Asia end up in the waste stream as scrap, so there isn't very high demand for virgin (smelted lead concentrate) when all that scrap is sitting around.