Do you recycle your alkaline batteries?

[Muse]

I thought that it was OK to just throw depleted alkaline batteries (D, C, AA, AAA) in the general trash but I came across something that indicated they can be dropped off at places that recycle used batteries, e.g. NiCad and NiMH. Is that true and what are the issues?

 

[jamesave]

I do.

It's against the law in california to trash the batteries into regular trash.

 

[nakedfrog]

I've got a bag of them ready to toss once I find a convenient place that takes them.

 

[Electric Amish]

I didn't know they could be recycled...

 

[Modelworks]

I actually get double use out of my old batteries.
I built a small charger that trickle charges them
They last about 3/4 of the time they did as an original battery.
Then I toss them in the trash. No recyclers here for batteries.


Yes I know the potential for alkalines, etc that are recharged for leakage, explosions, fire, etc. It started off as an experiment with some EE friends. We found it to be safe with the proper charger (not the ones designed for rechargeables !)

I had maybe one battery leak in the last few years.
I don't recommend everyone do this , its a do as I say not as I do type of thing.
Yeah I'm cheap


Note about NiCd batteries.
The cadmium is actually toxic to people/fish
When the first food canning was done they used cadmium for the cans because it was an easy to work metal.
Then they sealed the lids on the cans with lead solder.
That had to be good eating

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: Muse
I thought that it was OK to just through depleted alkaline batteries (D, C, AA, AAA) in the general trash but I came across something that indicated they can be dropped off at places that recycle used batteries, e.g. NiCad and NiMH. Is that true and what are the issues?

Yes it is true they recycle rechargeable batteries. And for a while the local curbside recyleing service in my parents neighborhood did pick up old alkalines but I haven't seen my mom or pop put them in the bin for a while, so I don't know if they are really all that recyclable or not. I suspect that the recycle people stoped taking them. But as for rechargables, your local Radio Shack can handle them through the RBRC program.


http://www.rbrc.org/

 

[wnangle]

Oh, yes, recycle. At $3 per gallon of gas, besides my time, I'm suppose to drive my little double AA batteries to the appropriate recycling station. LOL

Wait a minute, I need to look out the window to see if pigs are flying.

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: wnangle
Oh, yes, recycle. At $3 per gallon of gas, besides my time, I'm suppose to drive my little double AA batteries to the appropriate recycling station. LOL

Wait a minute, I need to look out the window to see if pigs are flying.

If they are flying, throw your dead batteries at them!!

Damned flying pigs :|

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: Electric Amish
I didn't know they could be recycled...

me either.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: wnangle
Oh, yes, recycle. At $3 per gallon of gas, besides my time, I'm suppose to drive my little double AA batteries to the appropriate recycling station. LOL

Wait a minute, I need to look out the window to see if pigs are flying.

Exactly. Like i'm going to drive 3500 lbs worth of car around so that I can recycle a couple dozen batteries, meanwhile having no qualms about putting hundreds of gallons of water on my lawn, throwing away all the corrugated cardboard I use (it's not recycled here), filling a full trash bin every week with refuse. Seems like pissing on a bonfire, at best.

 

[boomerang]

I take mine into work although we were recently told we shouldn't do that because it costs the company BIG bucks to dispose of them.

I'm going to continue to do it anyway.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: wnangle
Oh, yes, recycle. At $3 per gallon of gas, besides my time, I'm suppose to drive my little double AA batteries to the appropriate recycling station. LOL

Wait a minute, I need to look out the window to see if pigs are flying.

Is there something wrong with putting the batteries in a box during the year. Then when you go to recycle anyways you just grab the box and take it where you are going anyways?

Driving to recycle just one battery is silly.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: wnangle
Oh, yes, recycle. At $3 per gallon of gas, besides my time, I'm suppose to drive my little double AA batteries to the appropriate recycling station. LOL

Wait a minute, I need to look out the window to see if pigs are flying.

Is there something wrong with putting the batteries in a box during the year. Then when you go to recycle anyways you just grab the box and take it where you are going anyways?

Driving to recycle just one battery is silly.

You don't make a special trip to recycle a battery. You collect them in a can under your kitchen sink and drop them off at the appropriate location when you go to the grocery store or while you are out taking care of other matters.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: wnangle
Oh, yes, recycle. At $3 per gallon of gas, besides my time, I'm suppose to drive my little double AA batteries to the appropriate recycling station. LOL

Wait a minute, I need to look out the window to see if pigs are flying.

Is there something wrong with putting the batteries in a box during the year. Then when you go to recycle anyways you just grab the box and take it where you are going anyways?

Driving to recycle just one battery is silly.

Some people just have more dead double A battery cells than living brain cells.

 

[RU482]

my wife is an environmental engineer...she said there is no point in recycling them

 

[wnangle]

I use to save all my ink jet cartridges. Must of had 60 or 70 of them. Then some guy comes around wanting me to be 'GREEN' and recycle them. OK, I give him all the ink jets. Then he turns around, fill them up and sells them. Hmmmm.... Is that recycling? To me it sounds like a rip off. I'm very leary of people who want me to be green and recycle.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: wnangle
Oh, yes, recycle. At $3 per gallon of gas, besides my time, I'm suppose to drive my little double AA batteries to the appropriate recycling station. LOL

Wait a minute, I need to look out the window to see if pigs are flying.

Exactly. Like i'm going to drive 3500 lbs worth of car around so that I can recycle a couple dozen batteries, meanwhile having no qualms about putting hundreds of gallons of water on my lawn, throwing away all the corrugated cardboard I use (it's not recycled here), filling a full trash bin every week with refuse. Seems like pissing on a bonfire, at best.

Umm, no. You put them in your car and drop them off on your way to School, the bank, store, or some other important trip. There would be zero wasted fuel that way.

 

[zerocool1]

Originally posted by: wnangle
I use to save all my ink jet cartridges. Must of had 60 or 70 of them. Then some guy comes around wanting me to be 'GREEN' and recycle them. OK, I give him all the ink jets. Then he turns around, fill them up and sells them. Hmmmm.... Is that recycling? To me it sounds like a rip off. I'm very leary of people who want me to be green and recycle.

atleast its not ending up in a land fill.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: zerocool1

Originally posted by: wnangle
I use to save all my ink jet cartridges. Must of had 60 or 70 of them. Then some guy comes around wanting me to be 'GREEN' and recycle them. OK, I give him all the ink jets. Then he turns around, fill them up and sells them. Hmmmm.... Is that recycling? To me it sounds like a rip off. I'm very leary of people who want me to be green and recycle.

atleast its not ending up in a land fill.

And it's being reused. Isn't that recycling?

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: redly1
my wife is an environmental engineer...she said there is no point in recycling them

Really? I thought it was because of the mercury in them.

I understand it's a very small amount, but multiplied by hundreds of thousands of batteries I suppose it adds up.

We've pretty much converted over to rechargeables here.

 

[PottedMeat]

They go into the trash.

I do have a small box of dead alkalines, I'm thinking about putting them in a old can and putting the can in a fire ( and standing far back ) just to see what happens... Always wondered about that "NEVER THROW INTO FIRE" warning heheh.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: boomerang

Originally posted by: redly1
my wife is an environmental engineer...she said there is no point in recycling them

Really? I thought it was because of the mercury in them.

I understand it's a very small amount, but multiplied by hundreds of thousands of batteries I suppose it adds up.

Redly1's wife is correct. You do not have to recycle them for any non-political reasons (some states have laws requiring you to recycle). Even the EPA says it is safe to throw them away.

Mercury was removed from them nearly 2 decades ago.

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: boomerang

Originally posted by: redly1
my wife is an environmental engineer...she said there is no point in recycling them

Really? I thought it was because of the mercury in them.

I understand it's a very small amount, but multiplied by hundreds of thousands of batteries I suppose it adds up.

Redly1's wife is correct. You do not have to recycle them for any non-political reasons (some states have laws requiring you to recycle). Even the EPA says it is safe to throw them away.

Mercury was removed from them nearly 2 decades ago.

Oh wow, I'm really out of the loop on this one. And how, I just realized I've been thinking of Nickel Cadmium batteries all along. They just told us about Ni-Cad batteries at work, not alkaline.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Originally posted by: jamesave
I do.

It's against the law in california to trash the batteries into regular trash.

Oh...

 

[d33pt]

my company has a box called universal waste that i put it in. otherwise you can bring it to places like home depot and ikea. they usually have a box you can put it in for recycling.