An improved method for the recovery of lead from exhausted lead-acid storage batteries, comprising removal from the storage battery of the sulphuric acid solution, the coating element, the separators between the electrodes and the metal part i.e. grids, connectors and poles and milling of the remaining electrode paste of the storage battery to obtain an extremely fine powder (pastel),characterised by the following operations:a) treatment of the resulting powder with an aqueous saline solution, with a pH of between 0 and 8, capable of solubilising Pb (II) sulphate and oxide, leaving Pb (IV) oxide unsolubilised;b) reduction to metal lead of the bivalent lead ion, present in the soluble fraction, using metal iron, preferably in slight excess with respect to the stoichiometric proportions;c) reduction of the tetravalent lead oxide; andd) recovery of the salts used in the process step a) by elimination of the iron sulphate that has formed. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present method for recovery of lead from exhausted lead acid storage batteries.