Green and Chic

Photo by Moria

This is a guest post written by Brett Lindenberg an avid internet marketer from nether regions of Northwest Minnesota. When not trying to harness the power of Twitter (@brettlindenberg) he enjoys watching Brett Farve be a Viking.

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Batteries are the unappreciated purveyors of our connectivity obsessed society. We use them to power up our vehicles which enables us to travel long distances, on our wristwatches to be able to tell the time of day, on our laptops which allows us to use our precious computers even if there is no electrical power source, etc. Hey, we even use it on our cell phones which have become a necessity nowadays. Indeed, there is no denying that these batteries have made our lives easier. Let’s face it; we just can’t live without them.

The progress of technology has increased the demand for these batteries. There was a time when we only needed them for a number of tools and appliances that can be found in a typical home. A lot has changed since then. Now, the use of these batteries have increased to such an alarming rate that it has become a global concern.

There is a social responsibility attached to the use of household batteries. Batteries contain heavy metals that are harmful to the environment and to human beings. Improper disposal may lead to the contamination of our environment and cause harmful effects to us. Concerned groups and organizations have acknowledged the damaging effects of these heavy metals and how it could affect us in the future. It has paved the way for new laws to be passed in some areas of the world. How should we properly dispose of these batteries? Let us start with what we are not supposed to do.

Don’t:

• Do not keep dead batteries in battery compartments. A dead battery is a useless battery.
Delaying the disposal of these batteries may lead to leaks which are harmful if a person
comes into direct contact with the leak.
• Do not dispose batteries in the trash.
• Do not expose batteries to open flames. It may cause it to explode.
• Do not attempt to disassemble a battery. Doing so might expose you to its harmful
contents.

Do:

• Follow the instructions printed on the battery packaging or the battery itself.
• See if your local store is a drop-off point for used batteries. Some stores are designated
drop-off point’s set-up to collect the batteries. They in turn bring it to a proper battery
disposal/recycling facility.
• Check-out local laws on proper battery disposal. Chances are they have a program set-up
for this.

If you live in the U.S., please visit http://www.batteryrecycling.com/. They recycle all battery types anywhere in the country.

Let’s do what we can to help save the environment by disposing our batteries the right way.