Battery Disposal Guidelines: Keeping Harmful Chemicals Out of Landfills
There is always a lot of talk about how to dispose of used batteries. Most people will tell you they can’t go into the regular rubbish bin, and in the majority of countries, this is the law. This is due to the fact that most batteries contain hazardous chemicals such as cadmium, mercury, and lead. Needless to say, throwing them out with the rest of the rubbish which would land in a landfill is quite an irresponsible choice, since those components can do great harm to the natural environment should they leak. So how do you go about disposing of batteries?
In the majority of cases, batteries can be recycled
They contain valuable materials that can be reused and made into new batteries or other products, which in turn helps cut carbon emissions. In order to make sure that is what happens to your batteries, you need to know where to dispose of them. There are a number of options in the UK, such as reuse and recycling centres and various in-store collection points. It’s always a good idea to consult the government’s website to make sure where your nearest battery disposal point is. Most of those will accept both household as well as car batteries, which are usually much more difficult to get rid of. They will also usually take in lightbulbs and other electronics that are difficult to dispose of because of their harmful composition. In-store recycling points, on the other hand, will usually only take in household batteries, but they have the added convenience of being quite omnipresent – all the major supermarkets, electrical retailers, and DIY shops should have them, so you can just get rid of them when you go our shopping.
Before considering where to recycle your battery, however, it’s important to consider the type of your battery
Portable batteries are probably the most common one – they range from AAA cells to mobile phone batteries, cells used in hearing aids and watches, etc. Portable batteries is a term applied to most batteries that are available for purchase by the general public. Portable batteries are mostly used in cameras, laptops, power tools, toothbrushes, and various other handheld devices. They come in many sizes and can contain a variety of chemicals, e.g. alkaline, nickel cadmium, lithium, etc. Industrial batteries are, as the name suggests, designed to be used in a professional setting or with an electric vehicle. There is also the automotive battery, which is the one that’s used in a car’s started, lighting, or ignition.
