Why the World Needs Batteroo: Impact of Landfills

Why the World Needs Batteroo: Impact of Landfills

Hello my Dear Friends!

We are continuing our series about how Batteroos make the world better, and today we are going to talk about the environmental and health impacts of the sheer amounts of batteries that end up in landfills. If you’ve kept up with our campaign, you know some of the statistics we have already presented: over 15 billion batteries end up in landfills every year! That’s enough batteries to wrap around the earth 18 times! What we haven’t talked about is why that is such a big deal.

There are battery disposal facilities available to those who want to recycle their batteries, but only around 2% of batteries are recycled. The other 98% end up in trash bins and make their way to our landfills. The batteries that end up there cause major ramifications for the environment. Batteries contain materials such as cadmium, lead, mercury, nickel, lithium, and electrolytes []. As the battery casing corrodes over time, the chemicals leak into the soil and can make its way down into the water supply, which eventually ends up in our oceans and in our kitchens. Dry cell batteries contribute about 88 percent of the total mercury and 50 percent of the cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream [1]. Seattlepi reports the dangers of lithium in batteries, which has a volatile effect when it becomes exposed, leading to landfill fires that can burn underground for years. The fires release harmful chemicals into the air, which leads to the potential for human exposure. [2]

Batteries are not green products in and of themselves. The New York Times quoted Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, “Batteries are carcinogenic, toxic capsules that have no business in the waste stream.” [3] Carcinogens are chemicals and substances associated with causing certain cancers. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry names cadmium and nickel as known carcinogens. Lead also has been linked to birth defects and to neurological and developmental complications [2]. We don’t want to be drinking or breathing any of these chemicals, but with the amount of batteries ending up in landfills, there isn’t much that can be done. Or can there?

Most batteries are thrown away with as much as 80% of their juice left! With Batteroo, we can reduce the amount of batteries used and therefore, the amount thrown away. It’s not going to be enough to completely mitigate the problem, but it’s definitely on the path to the right solution! At the very least, it’s something you can do yourself, to do your part for the environment and your fellow human beings. Using Batteroos will help us save the world!

Come back next time for more Batteroo content!

Your Friends at Batteroo

References

• EHSO: Battery Disposal Guide for Households- Where to Safely Recycle Used Batteries. Available at: http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/batteries.php
• Seattlepi: What Do Batteries Do to the Environment If Not Properly Recycled?
• The New York Times: Technology; Trying to Make Batteries ‘Green’

Available at: http://education.seattlepi.com/batteries-environment-not-properly-recycled-3916.html

Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/03/business/technology-trying-to-make-batteries-green.html