We cannot recharge single-use AA alkaline batteries safely. They also seem so small and harmless many folk still throw them in the trash. Matt McFarland of CNN Business went on a search to learn how to dispose of used AA batteries legally. Strangely for these times, he did not get a consistent answer.
How It Matters What We Do with Spent Alkaline Batteries
McFarland discovered that state governments and battery manufacturers are sometimes at odds over this. This means there are no consistent guidelines how to dispose of the alkaline batteries that no longer power our small devices.
Moreover the rules, for want of a better word even vary depending on where we live. Alkaline batteries incorporate steel, zinc, manganese, potassium and graphite materials. These may not be hugely expensive, but they are non-renewable substances.
Before we throw our AA alkaline batteries on the tip, we also need to have in mind these chemicals can affect our health. Some folk who worked at manganese mines and smelters suffered permanent neurological damage. Do we really want this stuff leaching into the soil, and turning up in our food?
Sundry Advice About Disposing of Used AA Batteries Legally
The Environmental Agency assured McFarland AA batteries ‘can be safely put in the trash’. Although it also recommends sending them to a battery recycling plant. This in turn leaves the average user in a dilemma what to do next. However, California is the ‘odd state out’ in this regard.
That’s because California classifies all batteries as ‘hazardous waste’. And the reason, probably quite correctly is they contain ‘metals, toxic and corrosive materials’. Therefore, California insists its residents take their batteries to hazardous waste disposal facilities. For the sake of Earth this is the best advice to follow where practical.
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