The Positives and Negatives of Rechargeable Batteries

Rechargeable dry-cell batteries may be a smarter purchase than disposable single-use ones, but they do come with environmental drawbacks.

We don’t normally think about it, but household batteries — both rechargeable and single-use — cause many environmental hazards. More than 15 billion batteries are thrown out every year without considering what happens next: they pollute lakes and streams with metals that vaporize into the air when burned and contribute heavy metals that leach from solid waste to our land.

This is why you need to school yourself on each rechargeable battery type so you know what to buy and how to handle them:

• Nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries may be the cheapest on the market, but the cadmium contained within is a chemical that’s hazardous to the planet. These have been known to have issues with charging; if they are not fully discharged before you recharge, they will develop a lower voltage and capacity.
• Nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries are said to have materials that aren’t as toxic as others, but they still aren’t 100% safe and do need to be recycled. They can be charged up to 1,000 times and store more energy than NiCd batteries, but for shorter periods of time. You can also buy a smart charger that shuts off when the batteries are fully charged and maintains the charge by trickle charging.
• Lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries are a more powerful rechargeable battery that charges cell phones and laptops. Because they are more complex, they are more expensive than other battery types. These can charge for months without losing much of their power and can be stored with a partial or full charge. Additionally, they can explode when improperly handled or incinerated.

Rechargeable batteries are easier to recycle than non-reusable ones. If you live in California like I do, you’re required to dispose of all batteries properly and/or recycle them. You can drop them off to recycle at one of many participating retailers or search here for a center nearest you. And, if you still can’t find a place to recycle your batteries, try using a company like Battery Solutions or Big Green Box, which promise to recycle and properly handle all batteries you send them.

Battery use is a complex subject. Even though you try to go the “greener” route by using rechargeable batteries, they still waste resources and can be hazardous to our environment when mishandled. Truly being green in this regard would mean seriously rethinking the electronics you use and cutting back on using anything that requires batteries until we develop better ways to power these devices.