Assaulting Batteries - Keep ‘em out of the Trash
Not long after my daughter Samara’s birth, her toys seemed to lay siege to our small house. It wasn’t the clutter that drove me crazy, but the incessant noise that some of these things made. Push a button, make the pig “oink,” push another and hear a “moo.” What happened to using your imagination? In my day (and now I sound like my parents), we gave voice to our baby dolls and “vroom” to our matchbox cars. Toys didn’t scream at us all day long, and they didn’t need endless double As.
My first strategy was to pluck batteries out of the offending items and to ban any new toys that required them. For a long time, Samara didn’t seem to notice. But then came her fourth birthday, and with it, the “sparkling” fairy wands and singing Ariel dolls. There was no way around it. These things came with “demonstration batteries” that guaranteed they would be introduced with their bells and whistles in full swing, immediately seducing their recipients. Feeling out maneuvered, I gave in. Soon Samara’s imaginary kitchen was filled with whirring toy blenders and ringing microwave ovens. Her power tools roared and her cash register screamed, “Credit approved!!” after each swipe of the plastic visa card.
I bought batteries in large quantities from Costco and they were consumed like potato chips. Now, never mind the noise; the toxic waste we were creating was inexcusable. I was intent on keeping them out of the garbage so I stashed the old batteries in a desk drawer that was soon close to overflowing.
I started investigating rechargeable batteries and learned that one rechargeable nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery lasted as long as 140 disposable lithium batteries or 500 disposable alkaline batteries. Needless to say, I immediately ran out and purchased a set of four with a charger. Now, I am not going to lie. The initial outlay can be a pit pricey - between $30 and $50 a set - depending on the brand. But, if you do the math, it’s a no-brainer, and a worthy investment. The NiMH batteries do have one drawback and that is that they lose one percent of their charge for each day that they remain idle, so I put them, primarily, in items we used everyday, like my daughter’s electric toothbrush, my husband’s beloved T.V. remotes and my digital camera and bedside clock. I also used them to put the “sparkle” in Samara’s wands and I kept a set of disposable batteries on hand, in case she just couldn’t wait the hour it would take to recharge them. By the way, disposable lithium batteries last much longer than their alkaline counterparts.
Our battery consumption plummeted. I was so inspired that I decided to establish a “battery drop” at Samara’s preschool. The head of school loved the idea and put an announcement about it in the monthly bulletin. I bought a small stainless steel trashcan, pasted a colorful “used batteries” sign on it and placed it near the front door, as a constant reminder of our project. In the first month, parents and kids brought in 126 used batteries and Samara and I disposed of them properly by taking them to the Household Hazardous Waste Site in our neighborhood. The second month, we disposed of 285. Imagine how many batteries could be kept out of landfills if more school communities established Battery Drops.
I am encouraged by how even this small project has boosted awareness at Samara’s school. Parents report that their children love to watch the container fill up with the batteries they have brought from home, and the kids now ask about what else should be kept out of the landfills. Some people are also bringing in old cell phones and printer cartridges - items they know shouldn’t be in the trash. And just the other day, a parent approached me to say that he’s looking into buying rechargables because of the Battery Dive – which was great to hear as my goal is to convince everyone to decrease their battery use, in general, and to switch to reusables for their essential items.
In the meantime, at home, I still try and pluck out the occasional battery but, if Samara catches me, I feel better knowing that the set of double A’s I hand her, will be used over 100 times before landing in my desk drawer.
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Jessica Tuck - Ecoist
Jessica is an actress and co-Content Editor of the EcoPerks website. She serves on the Santa Monica Green Garden Tour committee, creating awareness about sustainable gardening and is an active member of the TreePeople organization. She lives in Santa Monica, with her husband and 4 year-old daughter, in their solar powered home.