USBCELL Not an Alkaline Battery

This is a rechargeable AA battery that charges via your computers USB port. The battery is sturdy, powerful, eliminates the need a separate charger and according to the manufacturer each cell saves 3kg of toxic waste.

Being the skeptic that I am, I researched that claim and discovered some interesting information. I contacted a national chain, Batteries Plus, and was told that recycling alkaline batteries is not necessary. However, rechargeable batteries should be recycled.

I then went to the Duracell Battery web site and found this statement:

“Alkaline batteries can be safely disposed of with normal household waste. Due to concerns about mercury in the municipal solid waste stream, Duracell has voluntarily eliminated all of the added mercury from its alkaline batteries since 1993 while maintaining the performance you demand. Our alkaline batteries are composed primarily of common metals - steel, zinc and manganese - and do not pose a health or environmental risk during normal use or disposal.”

The Energizer web site says: “Energizer recommends recycling rechargeable, but not alkaline batteries, even indicating that alkaline batteries can safely go to city incinerators.”

I even found a couple of sites that said that if you bring alkaline batteries to recycling centers or events, they are separated from the rechargeables and typically end up in the landfill or incinerator anyway.

The Consumer Electronics Association Question and Answer Website says: “Alkaline batteries are not recyclable. They’ll just be thrown out in a landfill, or at the most a hazardous waste landfill.”

Alkaline batteries bo longer contain mercury.

They do contain nickel, cobalt, zinc, manganese, and silver – which are not considered to be environmentally hazardous.

Rechargeable batteries contain mercury, cadmium, lead, and lithium – heavy metals which have a negative environmental impact.

Web sites I have reviewed that address how to properly dispose of household batteries use generalized terms such as ‘can contaminate the environment when batteries are improperly disposed of’ and ‘certain metals might be released into the air” and ‘have the potential to do harm’. Phrases such as these do nothing to ease the controversy over whether household batteries require special handling. 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.

The bottom line is that all rechargeable batteries should be recycled due to the presence of mercury, cadmium and lead. Alkaline batteries do not require special handling according to their manufactures. If you feel better about recycling alkaline batteries then by all means do so, but what I have learned they end up in landfills and incinerators anyway.