The power of recycling batteries

The recurring theme in this month's Electronic Products' annual Power Supply Special is the need to make the power source smaller and more efficient to fit inside ever-smaller products. For handheld and portable products, that means using batteries rather than ac line power. Which leads me to ask this question: What do you do when the rechargeable battery in your cell phone or camcorder finally dies?

Is recycling rechargeable batteries part of your life? Finding arecycling bin and receiving some financial incentive would sure help.

Most likely, you discard the rechargeable battery as you would a throwaway AA. Unfortunately, the proliferation of portable electronic devices means that more of these rechargeable batteries will meet the same fate and windup in places like landfills, where toxic chemicals could leak and pollute the environment.

One nonprofit organization, the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp.(RBRC), has been working with battery manufacturers for the last four years to implement programs for recycling NiCd batteries. The RBRC has set up a number of collection centers in stores such as Target, Circuit City, and Radio Shack where consumers can bring their used NiCd batteries to be collected and recycled.

From my observations and from data in the company's own study, the recycling effort has a long way to go. The RBRC study says that while 56% of portable-product owners believe their products' rechargeable batteries can be recycled, only 16% recycle them. Why the low rate of compliance?

Laziness, of course, is always to blame. But before you and I plead guilty, let's look at the current process for recycling batteries. The RBRC says that many local stores have battery collection centers. Truthfully, I have never seen such a center or heard of one. You have to remember to bring your spent rechargeable batteries, and search out the store personnel handling the collection (it's not a simple drop-off bin). You know how hard it is to find help in many stores nowadays.

I'm all for recycling, and I understand that educating the masses on the virtues of recycling batteries is a gradual process. But consumers would be much more receptive toward this concept if they had some economic incentive.

My idea–not an original one, I am told–is to give users some sort of rebate each time they bring their batteries in for recycling. Depending on the size and cost of the battery, the user would be reimbursed some percentage of the battery's original cost, either in cash or with a credit toward buying another rechargeable battery.

We're not talking about $2 throwaway alkalines here. Some of the rechargeable batteries cost considerably more to replace, so the consumer can save quitea bit over time.

Not only do I favor recycling NiCds–the main focus of current recycling efforts–but also the more environmentally friendly nickel-metal-hydride and lithium-ion batteries. This way, a user doesn't have to know what type of rechargeable battery technology a product uses. Considering the high cost of these newer battery technologies, the economic incentive for recycling them could be quite powerful.

Take stock of all the rechargeable electronic devices you have. Does your community have a program for recycling batteries yet? Do you think recycling batteries can become as much second nature as recycling newspapers, cans, and containers? Tell me your thoughts.

Spencer Chin, Senior Editor
spencerc@electronicproducts.com