Rechargeable Batteries

Category: 
Reduce Waste
Short Tip: 
Use rechargeable batteries
Impact: 
<p>Rechargeable batteries can be recharged over 1500 times and hold their charge for six months. Of the 15 billion batteries sold worldwide, most are the single-use varieties that leach toxic metals once they&rsquo;re thrown away. Every year, more than 3 billion batteries are used and then thrown away by American households, i.e., 125,000 tons of batteries discarded every year. On average, each person in the United States discards eight dry-cell batteries per year.</p>
How: 
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 1. Buy products that eliminate or minimize batteries. 2. If you must buy a battery-powered device, avoid unnecessary 'bells and whistles.' 3. Choose rechargeables over single-use batteries for all appropriate applications. 4. When buying battery-operated products, specify brands that use rechargeables. 5. When buying battery-operated products, specify ones in which the batteries are labeled and easily removable. 6. Consider buying two sets of rechargeable standard-sized batteries and a recharging unit when you need uninterrupted power. 7. When buying batteries and battery-powered products, choose brands with the longest life that meets your performance needs. 8. Purchase battery chargers that can recharge several types of rechargeables. 9. Educate other government agencies about the financial and environmental advantages of using rechargeables. 10. Take care to maintain your batteries. 11. Consider reusing batteries in low-drain applications. 12. Make a commitment to recycle all rechargeable batteries (and consider recycling single-use batteries if options are available). Specify in your contract that battery (or electronic equipment) vendors will take back spent rechargeable batteries and recycle them.  
References: 
http://www.informinc.org/fact_CWPbattery.php#whyreduce