Rechargeable Batteries Help Cut Down on Holiday Waste
There was a time when the three most feared words for holiday shoppers were the warning “Batteries Not Included.”
Today, many battery-powered devices will come with a set of batteries provided by the product manufacturer.
But are those batteries the right ones to use?
In California, all batteries are considered hazardous waste and must be disposed of through an approved recycling collection point. Disposing of batteries in household trash is illegal.
An easy solution is to purchase longer-life single-use batteries or rechargeable batteries.
The rechargeable batteries sold today are much better than earlier versions. Today’s rechargeable batteries have nearly three times the capacity of what was readily available a few years ago. Their capacity equals or exceeds ordinary single-use alkaline batteries.
With proper care, today’s rechargeable batteries should last for 500 to 1,000 charge/discharge cycles.
For more information:
- CalRecycle maintains information about the proper management of batteries and other potentially hazardous wastes on our local government household hazardous waste page.
- Batteryweb.com has Frequently Asked Questions about rechargeable batteries.