I've had a similar dilemma for decades in a work environment, we use a lot of 9V and AA cells to power wireless monitors, and do not use rechargeable for the same reason as the OP.
I can see a value in this for an organization using hoards of batteries but the reclamation of energy versus the human labor to keep doing this could be inefficient, so you'd have to weigh the cost/benefit. There is a considerable amount of energy to be reclaimed in SLA automotive batteries that is useful when the battery itself is too worn for automotive use.
Instead of harvesting the remaining energy in used batteries, we collect old cells in a box and reuse them as is, any employee can take them home.
Since the device low power indicator is fairly constant, the remaining power in the batteries are fairly fixed so after a few are sacrificed to determine remaining Wh or Ah its expected adjusted lifespan can be estimated for the type of cell within the whole bin.
Used 9V work well multimeters and some alarm applications [ gives 1 year instead of 4], AA are more versatile, it lasts ~ > year running wall clocks, remote controls, and LED pocket lights with constant current circuitry. With the increasing deployment of wireless keyboards and mice in new desktops in lieu of wired items, most use AA, these batteries are perfect in them as they last also for ~< 1 year versus the new battery life of => 2 years.