Recycling disposable batteries
Disposable batteries (photo at right) should not be thrown away with the rubbish because they contain toxic chemicals that may be harmful, and which should be recycled. Despite this, at present more than 95% of disposable batteries end up in landfill. Under a new EU rule, all shops that sell batteries in reasonable quantities (at least one pack per day) must now provide a box or bin for recycling used ones.
Existing ways to recycle batteries still work. You can put them out with your green box (in a clear plastic bag), or take them to the local waste disposal site in Drayton. But why not switch to rechargeables?
Using rechargeables
Standard-size rechargeable batteries (AAA, AA, C or D) cost a couple of times more than disposables, but recharging them costs a small fraction of a penny, so once you have bought the batteries and a suitable charger (see photo) the running costs are negligible. Newer types of rechargeable batteries such as NiMH (nickel metal-hydride) are much improved over the earlier NiCd (nickel-cadmium) ones:
- they hold more charge
- the charge doesn’t leak away as quickly when the batteries are not being used
- they don’t suffer from the ‘memory effect’ that sometimes prevented NiCds from recharging fully
When buying, note that the battery capacity varies with price – it is marked on the pack in mAh (milliamp-hours). NiMH batteries can be recharged 100–1000 times.
Caution: there are a few applications where you should not use rechargeables:
- devices that use a battery for a very long time, for example smoke detectors, because disposables hold their charge for much longer
- a few electronic devices that need the higher voltage of disposable batteries – check the instructions
Rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) and lithium-ion polymer batteries hold much more charge but are also more expensive – they tend to come mainly in custom sizes and shapes for everything from mobile phones, cameras, laptop computers and power tools to forthcoming hybrid cars. The photo below shows lithium-ion batteries for a laptop and a garden trimmer.
