Recycle Alkaline Batteries

Alkaline Diet Online Course

A few recycle alkaline batteries products I can recommend:

Alkaline Diet Online Course
12-Week guided alkaline diet health and & weight loss course (not just an ebook – a whole online course) with weekly downloads, weekly email guides, resources and personal support. This course offers unbelievable value for money vs a traditional ebook.
Alkaline Diet Online Course

Alkaline Diet Online Course

A few recycle alkaline batteries products I can recommend:

Alkaline Diet Online Course
12-Week guided alkaline diet health and & weight loss course (not just an ebook – a whole online course) with weekly downloads, weekly email guides, resources and personal support. This course offers unbelievable value for money vs a traditional ebook.
Alkaline Diet Online Course

Kodak MAX CRV3 Lithium Battery

Kodak MAX CRV3 Lithium Battery

• Superior lithium performance
• Specifically designed for demanding photo applications; Improved formula for faster recycle time and up to 10% more flashes
• 10 year shelf life and exceptionally wide temperature performance range
• This item is not for sale in Catalina Island

Find More Recycle Alkaline Batteries Products

Charging alkaline battery using Battizer Charger

Alkaline battery is 1.5V. When camera indicated low bat, the voltage was 1.38V. After fully charged, it was 1.74V. www.battizer.com
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Speedlights.net: Flash Recycle Nikon SB-700 Alkaline

speedlights.net video with Nikon SB-700 flash recycle time tests with a set of fresh Duracell alkaline batteries. Go to http for more information about speedlites and in-depth reviews.

Get The Most Out of Your Battery

by trilanes

Get The Most Out of Your Battery

Rechargeable batteries are no doubt an investment. Their upfront cost make those single-use batteries seem much more appealing.

But despite the price, The National Electrical Manufacturers Association has estimated that U.S. demand for rechargeables is growing twice as fast as demand for non-rechargeables.

Just how high is that demand? More than 350 million rechargeable batteries are purchased annually in the U.S. Plus, the Battery Act of 1996 provides easy ways for the public to recycle these batteries because it is mandated by law.

But if the price is a concern, and you can’t afford to purchase rechargeable batteries for every electronic in your household, which ones suck the most power and are worth the extra buck? Here are five products that deserve the splurge, saving you money in the long run.

1. Digital cameras

What to look for: Let’s get a little techy here. Batteries are rated in milliAmpere-hours (mAh) – thousandths of amp-hours. So a 2,700mAh battery is equivalent to a 2.7Ah battery. In layman’s terms, the higher your mAh number, the better.

Battery experts recommend the new hybrid Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries for most purposes. These batteries have at least 500 charges in a lifetime. The problem with regular NiMH batteries is that they quickly loose charge in storage – 1 percent a day to be exact. While that may not sound like a lot when broken down, the capacity actually drops to about 73 percent in just one month. That’s money down the drain.

How to maximize power: In order to preserve the maximum battery life, use a high-capacity charger designed for your specific battery. According to Bill Howard of PC Magazine, “NiMH batteries are sensitive to overcharging and require closer monitoring by the charger; plug NiMH batteries into a charger designed for NiCads and you may overcharge and damage them.”

One of the biggest power drains on a digital camera is its flash – both built-in and external. If using a DSLR camera, adjust the shutter speed and try to make it without using the bright bulb. Natural light usually turns out a better photo anyway.

2. MP3 players

What to look for: We know what you’re thinking, “I don’t even know how to remove my iPod’s battery.” That’s because most latest and more popular MP3 players already have a built-in lithium-ion battery that has up to 36 hours of playback time

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when fully charged. But your built-in battery may loose juice over time, and you may just have to spring for a new one (Psst!

If you take your old iPod to the Apple store for an upgrade, you’ll get a 10 percent discount, and they’ll recycle it for free).

But short lifespan is how consumer electronics keep us hooked. So, if you’re looking for a long-term relationship with a certain special MP3 player, consider getting one with a removable battery pack. We’ll give you an insider tip: Be sure you stock up on the specific battery packs while they’re still around because there’s no guarantee they’ll be available in two years.

If it sounds like too much work, and you just want that bright pink iPod shuffle, Apple has a program designed for spent batteries. For a fee, you can mail in your iPod, and Apple will replace the battery for you.

How to maximize power: A li-on battery pack guarantees 500 complete charge cycles, but you could get up to 2,000 charge cycles. Go for partial charge cycles as much as possible, and don’t let your battery run completely dry before charging. But the biggest drain for MP3 player batteries is heat, so keep your gadget at room temperature.

Also, you can adjust the settings on your MP3 player to allow for maximum battery life. Keep your consumption low by turning the backlight down or off, and if you’re using an iPod Touch, disable the Wi-Fi so it’s not constantly searching for a signal (this works in cell phones and laptops as well).

3. Electric toothbrushes

What to look for: There are two types of electric toothbrushes: rechargeable and battery-powered. A rechargeable electric will often come with a wall charger that uses inductive charging and often use a different type of cleaning technology called oscillating-rotating or sonic technology. Battery-powered toothbrushes typically use AA batteries and have a similar design of a manual brush. According to Oral-B, rechargeable electrics are usually more technologically sophisticated. However, you’ll still get a decent cleaning experience with a battery-powered, and it will be a lot cheaper.

How to maximize power: If purchasing a battery-powered toothbrush, sticking with your standard AA or AAA Nickel-cadminum (NiCd). Most of the toothbrushes will have a battery power indicator light and will have an option to set your brush time. Make sure your battery charger is tailored to your type of battery. Let the batteries cool to room temperature before charging as well.

When single is OK

Alkaline batteries also store well and lose only about 2 percent of their charge per year and work best in slow-drain devices, such as TV remotes, smoke detectors and wall clocks. David Pogue’s comparison tests for The New York Times show that regular alkaline batteries last longer in a device that’s on continuously.

Your local solid waste department may tell you to put alkaline batteries in with your regular trash. This is partly due to the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act passed in 1996, which phased out the use of mercury in alkaline batteries, making them less of an issue when disposed in landfills.

But this doesn’t mean alkalines are not recyclable. Because they are available on a wider scale, many major retailers will accept them for recycling.
Need even more battery life?

If you’re still looking for ways to cut corners and save an extra charge, Call2Recycle has even more tips for maintaining battery life:

1. Always follow the charging guidelines provided by the manufacturer. There are specific recommended charging times for

each individual product that should be followed before the product is used for the first time.
2. Never return a fully-charged battery to the charger for an extra boost. This will shorten the life of the battery.
3. Never place a non-rechargeable battery in a battery charger.
4. Do not leave a rechargeable battery in the charger when it is not charging.
5. Let a discharged battery cool to room temperature before recharging.
6. Recharge batteries only when they are close to being fully discharged.

We also heard that because rechargeable batteries have a high leakage rate, storing them in your refrigerator or freezer once they are charged will decrease their drain, but we haven’t tested that theory yet.

No matter what kind of battery you use, recycling them at their end of life is key to preventing pollution and recapturing valuable metals to be reused.

Because of their materials, these batteries may or may not be considered hazardous waste in different states. So, you should always check with your local government health, solid waste or recycling department before you consider their disposal.

Battery Recycling and Disposal Guide for Households

Battery Recycling and Disposal Guide for Households

Environmental Hazards of Batteries

People are using more and more household batteries. The average person owns about two button batteries, ten normal (A, AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, etc.) batteries, and throws out about eight household batteries per year. About three billion batteries are sold annually in the U.S. averaging about 32 per family or ten per person. A battery is an electrochemical device with the ability to convert chemical energy to electrical energy to provide power to electronic devices. Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which can contaminate the environment when batteries are improperly disposed of. When incinerated, certain metals might be released into the air or can concentrate in the ash produced by the combustion process.

Batteries may produce the following potential problems or hazards:
bullet     Pollute the lakes and streams as the metals vaporize into the air when burned.
bullet     Contribute to heavy metals that potentially may leach from solid waste landfills.
bullet     Expose the environment and water to lead and acid.
bullet     Contain strong corrosive acids.
bullet     May cause burns or danger to eyes and skin.

In landfills, heavy metals have the potential to leach slowly into soil, groundwater or surface water. Dry cell batteries contribute about 88 percent of the total mercury and 50 percent of the cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. In the past, batteries accounted for nearly half of the mercury used in the United States and over half of the mercury and cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. When burned, some heavy metals such as mercury may vaporize and escape into the air, and cadmium and lead may end up in the ash.
Hazards of Household Batteries

Controversy exists about reclaiming household batteries. Currently, most batteries collected through household battery collection programs are disposed of in hazardous waste landfills. Even stores and chains that have established take-back programs admit that it often ends up in the trash. There are no known recycling facilities in the U.S. that can practically and cost-effectively reclaim all types of household batteries, although facilities exist that reclaim some button batteries. Battery collection programs typically target button and nickel-cadmium batteries, but may collect all household batteries because of the consumers’ difficulty in identifying battery types.

This may change now that California has mandated recycling for “dry cell” batteries.

Regulations

Many states have regulations in place requiring some form of battery recycling. California mandates recycling for almost all battery types.

The U.S. Congress passed the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act in 1996 to make it easier for rechargeable battery and product manufacturers to collect and recycle Ni-CD batteries and certain small sealed lead-acid batteries. For these regulated batteries, the act requires the following:

bullet     Batteries must be easily removable from consumer products, to make it easier to recover them for recycling.
bullet     Battery labels must include the battery chemistry, the “three chasing arrows” symbol, and a phrase indicating that the user must recycle or dispose of the battery properly.
bullet     National uniformity in collection, storage, and transport of certain batteries.
bullet     Phase out the use of certain mercury-containing batteries.
Types and Uses of Household Batteries
Lead-Acid Automobile Batteries

Nearly 90 percent of all lead-acid batteries are recycled. Almost any retailer that sells lead-acid batteries collects used batteries for recycling, as required by most state laws. Reclaimers crush batteries into nickel-sized pieces and separate the plastic components. They send the plastic to a reprocessor for manufacture into new plastic products and deliver purified lead to battery manufacturers and other industries. A typical lead-acid battery contains 60 to 80 percent recycled lead and plastic.
Non-Automotive Lead-Based Batteries

Gel cells and sealed lead-acid batteries are commonly used to power industrial equipment, emergency lighting, and alarm systems. The same recycling process applies as with automotive batteries. An automotive store or a local waste agency may accept the batteries for recycling.
Household batteries – Dry-Cell Batteries

Dry-cell batteries include alkaline and carbon zinc (9-volt, D, C, AA, AAA), mercuric-oxide (button, some cylindrical and rectangular), silver-oxide and zinc-air (button), and lithium (9-volt, C, AA, coin, button, rechargeable). On average, each person in the United States discards eight dry-cell batteries per year.

There are two types of batteries:
(1) primary — those that can not be reused, and
(2) secondary also called “rechargable” — those that can be reused.

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like US rechargable battery manufacturer

French rechargable battery manufacturer      http://www.voila-batterie.com/

German rechargable battery manufacturer    http://www.interbatteries.de/

UK rechargable battery manufacturer  http://gogo-power.co.uk/

Primary batteries include alkaline/manganese, carbon-zinc, mercuric-oxide, zinc-air, silver-oxide, and other types of button batteries. Secondary batteries (rechargeable) include lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, and potentially nickel-hydrogen.

Battery Facts and Stats:
bullet    Consumption
bullet    Americans purchase nearly 3 billion dry-cell batteries every year to power radios, toys, cellular phones, watches, laptop computers, and portable power tools.
bullet    Inside a battery, heavy metals react with chemical electrolyte to produce the battery’s power.
bullet    Wet-cell batteries, which contain a liquid electrolyte, commonly power automobiles, boats, or motorcycles.
bullet    Nearly 99 million wet-cell lead-acid car batteries are manufactured each year.
bullet    A car battery contains 18 pounds of lead and one pound of sulfuric acid.
bullet    Recycling and Disposal
bullet    Mercury was phased out of certain types of batteries in conjunction with the “Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act,” passed in 1996.
bullet    Recycling batteries keeps heavy metals out of landfills and the air. Recycling saves resources because recovered plastic and metals can be used to make new batteries.
bullet    Household batteries contribute many potentially hazardous compounds to the municipal solid waste stream, including zinc, lead, nickel, alkalines, manganese, cadmium, silver, and mercury.
bullet    In 1989, 621.2 tons of household batteries were disposed of in the US, that’s double the amount discarded in 1970.
bullet    In 1986, 138,000 tons of lead-acid batteries were disposed of in the US
bullet    Regular flashlight batteries can be disposed of in the trash (generally, some states, like California, have more restrictive rules) , though it is best to take them to a recycler.
bullet    Mercury-oxide and silver-oxide button batteries are often collected by jewelers, pharmacies, and hearing-aid stores who sell them to companies that reclaim the metals.
bullet    In 1993, 80 to 95% of automobile batteries were recycled

What you can do
Batteries are constantly being reformulated – check the labels
Source Reduction Changes in Household Batteries
Read labels. Mercury reduction in ordinary alkaline batteries began in 1984 and continues today. During the last five years, the industry has reduced the total amount of mercury usage by about 86 percent. Since 1992 most alkaline batteries are manufactured with “no mercury added”. Some batteries such as the alkaline battery have had about a 97 percent mercury reduction in the product. Newer alkaline batteries may contain about one-tenth the amount of mercury previously contained in the typical alkaline battery. Some alkaline batteries have zero-added mercury, and several mercury-free, heavy-duty, carbon-zinc batteries are on the market.

Mercuric-oxide batteries are being gradually replaced by new technology such as silver-oxide and zinc-air button batteries that contain less mercury.

Nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries are being researched. Alternatives such as cadmium free nickel and nickel-hydride system are being researched, but nickel-cadmium are unlikely to be totally replaced. Nickel-cadmium batteries can be reprocessed to reclaim the nickel. However, currently approximately 80 percent of all nickel-cadmium batteries are permanently sealed in appliances. Changing regulations may result in easier access to the nickel-cadmium batteries for recycling.  
Prevention of Household Battery Waste

To reduce waste, start with prevention. Starting with prevention creates less or no leftover waste to become potentially hazardous waste. The following are steps to take to prevent household battery waste.

bullet    Check to see if you already have the batteries on hand before buying more.
bullet    When suited to the task buy hand operated items that function without batteries.
bullet    Look for the batteries that have less mercury and heavy metals.
bullet    Consider rechargeable batteries for some needs, but remember that they also contain heavy metals such as nickel-cadmium.
Rechargeable Batteries
Rechargeable batteries result in a longer life span and use fewer batteries. However rechargeable batteries still contain heavy metals such as nickel-cadmium. When disposing of rechargeable batteries, recycle if possible.

The use of rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries can reduce the number of batteries entering the waste stream, but may increase the amount of heavy metals entering the waste stream unless they are more effectively recycled. As of 1992, the percentage of cadmium in nickel-cadmium batteries was higher than the percentage of mercury in alkaline batteries, so substitution might only replace one heavy metal for another, and rechargeable batteries do use energy resources in recharging.

Rechargeable alkaline batteries are available along with rechargers.

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Where to Recycle Your Batteries

Recycling of non rechargeable batteries is becoming more commonplace, but it can still be a challenge to find a local drop-off location. Recycling used RECHARGEABLE household batteries is now possible! The battery manufacturers have funded a joint recycling center. To find a center near you that will take them, click here! (in the US or Canada))( Which types do they take? Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-ion), and Small Sealed Lead* (Pb) rechargeable batteries are commonly found in cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, digital cameras, two-way radios, camcorders and remote control toys.

Note that California is a bit of a special case.  California regulations require recycling for more types of batteries than other states.  See this page for detailed information about how and where to recycle batteries in California.

For more information about the program and the sponsors, click on Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation  And if you are looking for companies that can recycle batteries from  businesses and governments, see this page.
If you can’t find a location above:

Take the rechargeable batteries to any of the participating retailers. In the U.S.: Alltel, Batteries Plus, Best Buy, Black & Decker, Cingular Wireless, The Home Depot, Milwaukee Electric Tool, Orchard Supply, Porter Cable Service Center, RadioShack, Remington Product Company, Sears, Staples, Target, US Cellular, Verizon Wireless, and Wal-Mart. And in Canada: Battery Plus, Bell Mobility, Canadian Tire, FIDO/Microcell, Future Shop, The Home Depot, Home Hardware, London Drugs, Makita Factory Service Centers, Personal Edge/Centre du Rasoir, RadioShack Canada, Revy, Sasktel, Sears, The Sony Store, Telus Mobility and Zellers.

Use the RBRC collection site locator, or call the consumer helpline, 1-800-8-BATTERY, to find the retail collection site nearest you.

Non-rechargeable (typically “alkaline batteries”) still don’t have a recycler and general just must be disposed in the trash. If you have large quantities or are a business, talk with your permitted sanitary landfill operator (otherwise known as “sanitation services”, the “dump” or “landfill”). Waste batteries should not be burned because of the metals, and they could explode. When burned, some heavy metals such as mercury may vaporize and escape into the air, and cadmium and lead may end up in the ash.

related battery shop http://www.odm-battery.com/

speedlights.net video of recycle time test for Nissin Di622 Mark II with Duracell alkaline batteries to verify spec of 5.0 sec recycle. More info and test results on speedlights.net.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

For Everyone?Recycling your Battery

For Everyone?Recycling your Battery

Over 75 million Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) batteries were sold in the US during the year 2000. Market predictions indicate that the demand of NiCd batteries will rise six percent per year until 2003. The demand for other chemistries such as Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium Ion (Li?ion) is increasing at a more rapid pace. Where will the mountains of batteries   (Dell Latitude D810 battery) go when spent? The answer is recycling.

The lead acid battery has led the way in recycling. The automotive industry should be given credit in organizing ways to dispose of old car batteries. In the USA, 98 percent of all lead acid batteries are recycled. Compared to aluminum cans (65 percent), newspaper (59 percent) and glass bottles (37 percent), lead acid batteries  (Latitude D820 battery) are reclaimed very efficiently, due in part to legislation.

Only one in six households in North America recycle small rechargeable batteries. Homeowners have the lowest return ratios, but this should improve once more recycling repositories become available and better environmental awareness is emphasized ( APPLE A1175 battery).

The NiCd battery is one of the more hazardous batteries in terms of disposal. If used in landfills, the cadmium will eventually dissolve itself and the toxic substance will seep into the water supply, causing serious health problems. Our oceans are already beginning to show traces of cadmium (along with aspirin, penicillin and antidepressants) but the source of the contamination is unknown. Under no circumstances can batteries   be incinerated as this can cause them to explode.

Although NiMH batteries are considered environmentally friendly, this chemistry is also being recycled. The main derivative is nickel, which is considered semi-toxic. NiMH also contains an electrolyte that, in large amounts, is hazardous to the environment.

If no disposal service is available in an area, individual NiMH batteries can be discarded with other household wastes. If ten or more batteries are accumulated, the user should consider disposing the batteries in a secure waste landfill.

Lithium (metal) batteries contain no toxic metals, however, there is the possibility of fire if metallic lithium is exposed to moisture while the cells are corroding. Most lithium batteries are non-rechargeable and are used by defense organizations. Cameras and other commercial products also use primary lithium batteries. For proper disposal, these batteries  . must be fully discharged in order to consume all metallic lithium content. Li?ion batteries (rechargeable), on the other hand, do not contain metallic lithium and the disposal problem does not exist. Most lithium systems contain toxic and flammable electrolyte, however.

In 1994, the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) was founded to promote the recycling of rechargeable batteries in North America. RBRC is a non-profit organization that collects batteries from consumers and businesses and sends them to Inmetco and Toxco for recycling. Inmetco specializes in recycling NiCd, but also accepts NiMH and lead-based batteries. Toxco, focuses on lithium metal and Li?ion system. Currently only intended to recycle NiCd batteries, RBRC will expand the program to include also NiMH, Li?ion and SLA batteries .

Programs to recycle spent batteries have been in place in Europe and Asia for many years. Sony and Sumitomo Metal in Japan have developed a technology to recycle cobalt and other precious metals from Li?ion batteries. The rest of Asia is progressing at a slower rate. Some movements in recycling spent batteries.are starting in Taiwan and China, but no significant infrastructure exists.

Battery recycling plants require batteries to be sorted according to chemistries. Some sorting is done prior to the battery arriving at the recycling plants. NiCd, NiMH, Li?ion and lead acid are often placed in designated boxes at the collection point. Sorting batteries  must be done manually, an operation that adds to the cost of recycling.

If a steady stream of sorted batteries were available at no charge, recycling would be feasible with little cost to the user. The logistics of collection, transportation and labor to sort the batteries make recycling expensive.

The recycling process starts by removing the combustible material, such as plastics and insulation using a gas fired thermal oxidizer. Gases from the thermal oxidizer are sent to the plant’s scrubber where they are neutralized to remove pollutants. The process leaves the clean, naked cells, which contain valuable metal content .

The cells are then chopped into small pieces, which are heated until the metal liquefies. Non-metallic substances are burned off; leaving a black slag on top that is removed with a slag arm. The different alloys settle according to their weights and are skimmed off like cream from raw milk.

Cadmium is relatively light and vaporizes easily at high temperatures. In a process that appears like a pan boiling over, a fan blows the cadmium vapor into a large tube, which is cooled with water mist. This causes the vapors to condense. A 99.95 percent purity level of cadmium can be achieved using this method.

Some recyclers do not separate the metals on site but pour the liquid metals directly into what the industry refers to as ‘pigs’ (65 pounds) or ‘hogs’ (2000 pounds). The pigs and hogs are then shipped to metal recovery plants. Here, the material is used to produce nickel, chromium and iron re-melt alloy for the manufacturing of stainless steel and other high end products.

Current battery  recycling methods requires a high amount of energy. It takes six to ten times the amount of energy to reclaim metals from recycled batteries than it would through other means. A new process is being explored, which may be more energy and cost effective. One method is dissolving the batteries with a reagent solution. The spent reagent is recycled without forming any atmospheric, liquid or solid wastes.

Who pays for the recycling of batteries in bulk? Participating countries impose their own rules in making recycling feasible. In North America, some recycling plants bill on weight. The rates vary according to chemistry. Systems that yield high metal retrieval rates are priced lower than those that produce less valuable metals.

The highest recycling fees apply to NiCd and Li?ion batteries because the demand for cadmium is low and Li?ion batteries contain little retrievable metal. The recycling cost of alkaline is 33 percent lower than that of NiCd and Li?ion because the alkaline cell contains iron. The NiMH battery yields the best return. Recycling NiMH produces enough nickel to pay for the process.

Not all countries base the cost of recycling on the battery  chemistry; some put it on tonnage alone. The average cost of recycling batteries is ,000 to ,000US per ton. Europe hopes to achieve a cost per ton of 0US. Ideally, this would include transportation, however, moving the goods is expected to double the overall cost. For this reason, Europe is setting up several smaller processing locations in strategic geographic locations.

Significant subsidies are sill required from manufacturers, agencies and governments to support the battery recycling programs. These subsidies are in the form of a tax added to each manufactured cell. RBRC is financed by such a scheme.

Summary

Proper disposal of batteries is a growing concern, especially with NiCd. In spite of the move to environmentally friendlier chemistries such as NiMH and Li-ion, the NiCd battery continues to fill an important market niche. Many applications do not run satisfactorily with newer battery  systems. Portable equipment that must rely on the durable and forgiving power source of the classic NiCd are power tools, biomedical devices and two-way radios.

Rechargeable batteries produce far less waste than the non-rechargeable variety because they can be reused hundreds of time. In terms of preserving the environment, switching to rechargeables makes common sense. The most durable rechargeable battery is the NiCd, a chemistry that is also the least friendly if carelessly discarded.

How Do I Recycle Alkaline Batteries? (1800Recycling.com Answers – Ep. 10) www.1800recycling.com Subscribe to see all of Ana’s Recycling Tips www.youtube.com Become a Fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com Visit www.1800Recycling.com for more Green Energy Tips and To Find The Nearest Recycling Center!
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