Recharge your Batteries
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Imagine if every time you got really tired, your parents tossed you out and replaced you with a new son or daughter. They could’ve just sent you to bed to “recharge” but the truth is they’re kinda lazy. Welcome to the life of a battery.
This year alone Canadians will buy almost 550 million batteries! Most of those will end up in a landfill, instead of being recharged or sent to a hazardous waste depot where they belong.
The problem isn’t just that they take up space in dumps. Batteries also ooze out all kinds of nasty stuff when they’ve hung out in landfills too long, including potassium hydroxide (a corrosive), mercury (extremely toxic and an all-round dodgy element) and cadmium (a toxic cancer causer!). Of course, all these chemicals eventually make their way into the ground and can get into the water too, causing major problems for lots of wildlife.
Rechargeable batteries may have their own share of heavy metals, but they aren’t nearly as bad as the ones you use just once then throw away. For starters, they can be reused a bunch of times, which saves lots of extra batteries from being bought and thrown out. They might cost more than non-rechargeable batteries upfront, but you totally save you money in the long run. For example, SANYO’s new Eneloop rechargeable batteries can be charged up to 1,000 times! Pretty impressive.
Now that you’ve been convinced to go rechargeable here are some tips to help your batteries last longer ;)
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Because they’re small, it’s easy to lose track of your batteries. SO, find a couple reusable containers and label one for your rechargeables in need of recharging, and the other for the worn out ones (destined for the hazardous waste or battery recycling depot).
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Keep ‘em out of direct sunlight.
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Don’t overcharge your batteries (it can damage them).
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Recharge regularly.
Here’s the basic breakdown on different types of batteries.
Alkaline battery
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Many contain a small amount of mercury.
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Create a lot of waste.
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Should be avoided or, at the very least, recycled.
Nickel Cadmium battery (NiCd)
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Have longer life cycles than other batteries and hold an electrical charge longer.
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Contain cadmium, a highly toxic heavy metal.
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They’re a bit better than alkaline but still not super environmentally friendly.
Nickel-Metal Hydride battery (NiMH)
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Non-toxic
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More energy storage than NiCds and can be charged more quickly.
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NiMH may be the better choice than NiCD batteries.
Low Self Discharge NiMH (LSD)
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Don’t require charging right out of the package.
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These guys are better for electronics that aren’t major energy suckers (like a digital camera) or for devices that aren’t used that often.
Lithium-ion battery
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Might have one of the best energy-to-mass ratios of all batteries (meaning they’re light but still pack a punch in terms of power).
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Don’t lose their charge quickly when they’re not in use, which is a big bonus.
TAKE ACTION
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Once your rechargeable batteries no longer keep their charge, you can call the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) Recycling Hotline or visit the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation to find a drop-off location in your community.
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Find out more about SANYO’s Eneloop batteries here.
Juice up your alarm clock with a handmade battery! Find out just how to give it a JOLT on the boards.