Where does it go? Batteries edition
Do you have “that” drawer? The one that winks at you every time you enter your kitchen, that you open every few months with a cringe because of the chaos lying behind the neat wooden rectangle of your drawer front? If you’re anything like us, amidst the tangle of takeout menus and assorted odds and ends, you’re almost certain to have at least a few spent batteries living out their golden years in solitude.
But it doesn’t have to be this way! Though their days of powering toys and tv remotes are over, spent batteries contain numerous materials that can be put to good use, including to produce steel, make laundry detergent, and even to start the process all over again with brand new batteries.
We deliver the batteries we collect to our partner EcoLights, who sorts them by type, discharges any residual electrical energy, and delivers them safely to an end site recycling plant in Wisconsin. Different types of batteries go on to different different processes, but two of the most likely types in your home include:
Alkaline
These babies power handheld devices like remote controls and small electronics. A number of components from the alkaline batteries Ridwell members recycle go on to clever new uses. Jesse McCullough, Compliance Manager at EcoLights explains: “With alkaline batteries, the idea is to recover the steel casing and brass collector for scrap metal recycling, and then make use of the manganese and zinc electrodes contained within it (which are important micronutrients for plants) as an ingredient for making fertilizer.”
Lithium
These can be rechargeable batteries that are found in cellphones, tablets, and the like, or the little button batteries that power hearing aids and some smaller toys. Their next life begins when they are split open using a shredder or a high speed hammer, then submerged in a caustic water that neutralizes the electrolytes and allows the recovery of the metals. The remaining solution is processed to create materials for new batteries.
If all this talk of high speed hammers and cool chemistry has you ready to gather every battery in your house and toss them into the bin, let us remind you of a few safety tips to help you do it responsibly. When batching up batteries for your next pick up, please keep in mind:
Even when they’re spent, some batteries aren’t truly dead. We recommend taping up the terminals with clear packing tape, especially for lithium or lithium-ion batteries. Doing so prevents battery terminals from accidentally touching and heating up.
When batteries get damaged, they need a little TLC. Separate damaged or corroded batteries by placing them in individual sealable plastic bags, and we’ll make sure they get handled safely (and ensure the bags get recycled as well).
Ridwell members play a critical role in preventing batteries from going to waste (or from leaking hazardous materials into the environment), saving over 100,000 lbs of batteries from the landfill each year. If the drawer we described sounds way, way too familiar, take a few minutes this weekend to tame that beast, gather up your old batteries, and let Ridwell help you give them a new purpose.