Why should I recycle my Nickel Cadmium battery?
Recycling Nickel Cadmium Batteries is essential to reduce toxins in the environment, especially as we are consuming them in ever increasing numbers. Nickel Cadmium are a ‘Dry Cell’ battery and it is estimated that every US citizen discards eight of these every year.
The greatest danger lies in the heavy metals which, if disposed of in normal landfills, can seep through to ground water levels and affect drinking water supplies.
In 1996 Congress passed the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act which required manufacturers of products to make Nickel Cadmium batteries:
- easy to remove so they could be recycled separately,
- clearly labelled,
- recyclable via a nationwide system.
It should be noted that by being rechargeable Nickel Cadmium batteries are more environmentally friendly than their single use counterparts but it also means they contain a greater amount of heavy metals which, if not disposed of correctly, are more damaging and toxic than many other battery types.
Where to recycle Nickel Cadmium batteries?
An excellent place to start is Call2Recyle, founded in 1994 and holders of the Responsible Recycling (R2) Certificate. This is a non-profit organization joint funded by many battery manufacturers and they successfully recycle millions of units every year across the US. You can use their online system to find a location near you.
Alternatively most stores which sell batteries now also maintain recycling points as well or you can seek help via a consumer helpline: 1-800-0-BATTERY.
This article relates to Nickel Cadmium but all types of batteries are damaging to the environment if they are not disposed of correctly.
BatteryGuy supports the work of Call2Recyle. If you need assistance then ask for details when ordering your replacement battery.
See also How to recycle batteries.
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