Our photo editor here at the National Post took the green initiative a little while ago by putting a funny little bin on his desk so we could throw used batteries from our tape recorders, cameras, computers and whatnot in there; when it gets full, he takes it to the local hazardous waste depot so they’ll be properly disposed of rather than dumped in a landfill and left to leak mercury into the soil.
So, with a 9-volt and four triple-A’s in hand, I made my way over there and threw ‘em in, and will continue to do so with the rest of my used batteries. I realize a more eco-friendly option would be to invest in rechargeable batteries, but when I can get free ones from the supply cabinet it’s hard to say no.
Photo courtesy of iamilk on Flickr
You know, we tried rechargeables once, but we kept forgetting they were rechargeable, so they all got thrown away eventually!
I’ve started taking my used batteries to IKEA, which claims to “recycle” them, though I’m not exactly sure what they do with them.
We have battery recycling at work too, but I haven’t exactly been consistent about bringing them in. Thanks for the reminder – I’ll try harder
One of my coworkers did the same thing in our office last month! I think it’s a great idea and since someone else is doing the big job of taking them all to the recycle centre, it seems more people are willing to bring in their old dead batteries from home.
We did a study at our office and found that if we replaced the traditional throw away batteries with rechargeable ones we’d not only be saving the environment, we’d also be saving money ! Any office that supplies batteries to its employees for whatever reason should really consider the rechargeable option.