Did you know the world throws 600 million batteries away every year? And that we trash almost 200 million of these during the Christmas period? We were dreaming of a white Christmas ‘just like the ones we used to know’ when Tech Advisor reminded us. We wrote this post in the interests of a merrier Christmas with fewer batteries going into landfill.
Switch to Rechargeable Batteries for a Merrier Christmas
Batteries store and release energy through a chemical process that happens inside them. Some of these chemicals are poisonous, toxic, and downright dangerous. We might not have a merrier Christmas after one of these touched our skin.
It makes no sense to dump batteries in landfills where they rust, burst, and leach their chemicals into the soil. This is especially true because the chemicals will travel in groundwater and eventually enter the ocean. After these poisonous, toxic, and downright dangerous chemicals infect fish they enter the food chain. It’s quite possible they could eventually enter our bodies as we dine on fish and chips.
The Very Simple Thing Needed to Fix the Problem
Non-rechargeable batteries have stored energy in one of their electrodes. When we use these batteries the ions travel to the other electrode. When they have all done so, the battery is flat. It is also non-recyclable because there is no business case for doing so.
However, there is a business case for using rechargeable batteries in toys, flashlights, radios, and other small gadgets. We save money in the medium term, and stop ground pollution in its tracks. We also reduce the carbon going into the atmosphere from battery factories, and can have a merrier Christmas too.
The technology behind this is incredibly simple. The chemistry in rechargeable batteries lets the charger send the ions back from whence they came. The battery is thereby fully charged, and we can do this again and again.
Related
Recharge Your Batteries While You Walk
Rechargeable vs. Single-use Batteries
Preview Image: Have a Merrier Christmas From All of Us
