Posted in Home, Home Archive | Monday, March 15th, 2010
The battery in my laptop basically imploded one day. (If you have a1st generation 17″ MacBook Pro get your battery replaced, it’s a known defect). I knew that I couldn’t just throw it in the garbage, but I didn’t think I could put it in the recycling bin with the aluminum cans. So I did some research and realized that there’s a lot of batteries that you can’t just throw in the regular trash or the recycling bin. Regular batteries expose the environment and water to lead and acid and rechargeable batteries, when NOT recycled, are even worse, because they have mercury in them which can seep into the water and the air.
I didn’t.
Here’s a handy guide showing how to dispose of most of the consumer batteries that we deal with everyday at home.
1. Alkaline Batteries (AAA, AA, C, D, 6V, 9V)
Used in: Flashlights, calculators, toys, clocks, smoke alarms, remote controls
Disposal: Regular trash
2. Button Batteries
Used in: Watches, hearing aids, toys, greeting cards, remote controls
Disposal: Bring to a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site*
3. Carbon Zinc (AAA, AA, C, D,6V, 9V)
Used in: Flashlights, calculators, toys, clocks, smoke alarms, remote controls, transistor radios, garage door openers
Disposal: Place in the trash (normal municipal waste).
4. Lithium / Lithium Ion (3V, 6V, 3V button)
Used in: Cameras, calculators, computer memory back-up, tennis shoes
Disposal: Recycle through a recycling program
5. Nickel-Cadmium Rechargeable (AAA, AA, C, D, 6V, 9V)
Used in: Flashlights, toys, cellular phones, power tools, computer packs
Disposal: Bring to a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site* or the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation’s (RBRC) Battery Recycling Program.**
6. Nickel Metal Hydride Rechargeable (AAA, AA, C, D, 6V, 9V)
Used in: Flashlights, toys, cellular phones, power tools, computer packs
Disposal: Regular trash or the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation’s (RBRC) Battery Recycling Program.**
7. Reusable Alkaline Manganese Rechargeable (AAA, AA, C, D)
Used in: Flashlights, calculators, toys, clocks, radios, remote controls
Disposal: Regular trash
8. Sealed Lead Acid Rechargeable
Used in: Video cameras, power tools, wheelchairs, ATV’s, metal detectors, clocks, cameras
Disposal: Bring to a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site* or the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation’s (RBRC) Battery Recycling Program.**
9. Silver Oxide
Used in: Watches, hearing aids, toys, greeting cards, remote controls
Disposal: Recycle by the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation’s (RBRC) Battery Recycling Program**
Who knew that that singing birthday card I got couldn’t just go in the regular recycling bin? Read the battery package or the side or bottom of the battery so that you’ll know what kind of battery it is. When in doubt, Check the Call2Recycle website. If you try to put batteries in the regular trash that don’t belong there, you can be fined by your municipality.
As for my latop battery, I went on Call2Recycle.com and found out that the hardware store right around the corner from my house was part of the RBRC and took laptop batteries as well!
*Your local Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site can be found by doing an Internet search under “Hazardous Waste Collection” and your state.
** Go to www.call2recycle.com and put in your zip code to find the nearest battery recycling center near you. It’s usually a hardware store.
About Savvy Brown
I believe being healthy doesn't have to be complicated, being green can be easy and being broke isn't an option!
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Source: piccsy.com via Savvy on Pinterest
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I had no idea that regular batteries shouldn’t be thrown away in the garbage. I’m so glad you posted this.
Thanks! Yeah, I didn’t know that those singing cards were a problem either