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. It is illegal to dispose of batteries as part of your normal household trash.

An easy solution is to purchase longer-life single-use batteries or rechargeable batteries.

The rechargeable batteries being sold today are much better than earlier versions. The higher capacity batteries sold today 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 between 500 and 1,000 charge/discharge cycles.

However, rechargeable batteries will lose a significant amount of charge over time, even if they are not in use.

For more information:

• CalRecycle maintains a database of locations for recycling batteries and electronic equipment.
• Batteryweb.com has Frequently Asked Questions about rechargeable batteries.
• Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation has information about recycling rechargeable batteries.

Holiday Home Page