Many batteries contain toxic chemicals and/or heavy metals, two things that we really don’t want getting into the environment. As the battery market grows year on year, so does the amount of battery waste being produced.
The two main issues are toxic metals reaching the environment and improperly handled used batteries not being recycled correctly.
Toxic metals
Dead batteries are not usable by the consumer, but they still have the ability to cause harm to the environment. Used batteries may contain lead, nickel, cadmium, cobalt, and manganese, all considered to be toxic heavy metals.
If thrown out in municipal trash, these metals can leach from the used batteries and end up in the soil, groundwater, or the air. Ultimately, they will reach the human food chain with potentially negative consequences for human health. For instance, lead exposure in infants leads to brain development issues.
Luckily the majority of lead acid batteries (commonly used in autos) are recycled and are fairly straightforward to recycle, although this is not without its risks and environmental impacts.
Improper recycling
Lithium is also increasingly disposed of as Li-ion batteries are replaced by consumers and, while Lithium is not classified as a toxic metal, the sheer amount of Lithium-ion batteries now heading to landfill when they should really be recycled is a concern. Especially as these ‘zombie batteries’ are flammable and are responsible for numerous fires in waste and recycling facilities around the world each year. Unless carefully handled, used Li-ion batteries can catch fire or explode if crushed, punctured, or contaminated with water, a likely occurrence if they’re thrown into the trash and not recycled with care.
It is not only Lithium-ion batteries which may pose a fire risk. Used batteries of any type, even primary alkaline batteries, may contain residual charge. If their terminals come into contact with other batteries or metals they may short-circuit while in the trash or recycling facility, therefore extra care is required from the consumer not to just toss used batteries in the trash or a bin. Experts suggest covering their terminals with tape or packing them together in such a way that they can’t come into contact with other materials.
Where to recycle used batteries?
Some personal responsibility has to fall on the shoulders of the consumer here as batteries are actually not that difficult to recycle these days in many countries.
Here are some options:
- Many supermarkets and DIY stores provide recycling bins for small used batteries of all types associated with smaller electronic devices.
- Municipal waste sites will take batteries, even larger batteries such as lead-acid car batteries and Li-ion laptop batteries.
- Specialized recycling organizations, such as Call2Recycle in the USA, will take batteries or provide drop-off points in certain retailers.
It only takes a very brief search engine search to find options for your region or country.
