One topic leads to another. While you may never see the large scale “batteries” I mentioned in , we use batteries every day. Due to our technology having differing requirements for size, voltage, output, and recharge ability, there are lots of different types. What batteries you can and should recycle can be a little confusing.

Types of Batteries

I found a very clear write up about battery types on Wikihow .

Why Recycle?

While alkaline, carbon-zinc, and lithium batteries can be thrown away, they all contain recyclable components, which means you can keep them out of the waste stream. Any reclaimed metal from these batteries used in industry means less mining for metal ore.

If you are collecting batteries for recycling, please tape the metal contact ends so that they can’t touch. If the batteries connect, they can heat up and explode. Heat is bad for batteries in any situation, so don’t keep that bag of batteries in your car. Lithium batteries can explode if they get too hot even without any other batteries around, which is one reason why recycling them is preferable to throwing them away (and then exploding in a landfill).

When it comes to recycling, knowledge is power, so let’s share some knowledge! What businesses and organizations in your area are leading the way with battery recycling?