BatteryValues.com
can recycle your old batteries! Portable rechargeable batteries including
Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-ion) and
Small Sealed Lead (Pb) are commonly found in cordless power tools, laptop
computers, cellular and cordless telephones, camcorders, video and digital
cameras, and other wireless electronic devices.
To ensure the integrity of our product source, our batteries are made using the
highest quality cells available and utilize all of the proper logic boards,
thermal protectors, thermistors and circuit breakers to ensure the maximum
levels of battery safety, reliability and efficiency.
What Are The Different Types of Rechargeable Battery
Chemistries/Technologies and Why Do We Care?
Batteries in portable consumer devices (laptops, camcorders, cellular phones,
cordless phones, camcorders, video and digital cameras, notebooks, PDAs) are
principally made using either Nickel Cadmium (NiCad), Nickel Metal Hydride
(NiMH) or Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) technologies. Each type of rechargeable battery
technology has its own unique characteristics:
NiCad and NiMH
The main difference between the two is the fact that NiMH batteries, the newer
of the two technologies, offer approximately twice the capacity of its NiCad
counterparts. What this translates into is increased run-time from the battery
with no additional bulk to weigh down your portable device. NiMH also offers
another major advantage: NiCad batteries tend to suffer from what is called the
"memory effect". This means that if a battery is continually only partially
discharged before re-charging, the battery "forgets" that it has the capacity
to further discharge all the way down. NiMH batteries are less prone to develop
this dreaded affliction and thus require less maintenance and care. NiMH
batteries are also more environmentally friendly than their NiCad counterparts
since they do not contain heavy metals. Heavy metals can endanger the
environment by polluting watersheds and waterways. They may also present
serious landfill problems.
Li-Ion
Li-Ion has quickly become the emerging standard for portable power in consumer
devices. Li-Ion batteries produce the same energy as NiMH batteries but weigh
approximately 35% less. This is crucial in applications such as camcorders or
notebook computers where the battery makes up a significant portion of the
device's weight. Another reason Li-Ion batteries have become so popular is that
they do not suffer from the memory effect AT ALL. They are also environmentally
friendly because they don't contain toxic materials such as Cadmium and
Mercury.
Recycling
NiCad, NiMH and Li-Ion batteries should be recycled. Recycling will prevent
these batteries from entering the solid waste stream or potentially our
aquifers and waterways. These water bodies can become polluted through landfill
leaching and runoff after storms. Be environmentally conscious - do NOT throw
these batteries in the trash.
If you don't know where your local recycling facility is located, call The
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) at 1-800-822-8837. They will
provide you with the address of the recycling center nearest to you.
The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) started a nationwide
takeback program in 1994 for collection and recycling of used nickel-cadmium
batteries. The RBRC expanded in 2001 to include all portable rechargeable
battery chemistries in its takeback program. This is the first nationwide
takeback program that involves an entire U.S. industry. If you wish to ship
them to us, BatteryValues.com will recycle your old cell phone, camcorder,
digital camera, PDA, notebook and laptop batteries for you! We care about the
environment and strive to participate in building public awareness of the
importance of recycling used batteries. BatteryValues.com has teamed up with
the Rechargeable Battery Association’s Charge Up to Recycle!® program, which
encourages retail stores that sell rechargeable batteries and
battery-powered/products to become collection sites for used portable
rechargeable batteries.
Reusable Batteries
Using rechargeable batteries reduces overall battery waste. Depending on the
application, some rechargeable batteries can recharge up to 1,000 times; users
simply recharge and reuse them, instead of continually buying new batteries.
Once rechargeable batteries can no longer hold a charge, they can and should be
recycled.
According to the EPA’s website, every year in the United States, billions of
batteries are bought, used, and thrown out. In 1998 alone, over 3 billion
industrial and household batteries were sold. The demand for batteries can be
traced largely to the rapid increase in, portable products such as cordless and
cellular phones, video cameras, camcorders, laptop computers, and
battery-powered tools and toys.
Because many batteries contain toxic constituents such as mercury and cadmium,
they pose a potential threat to human health and the environment when
improperly disposed. Though batteries generally make up only a tiny portion of
municipal solid waste (MSW)—less than 1 percent—they account for a
disproportionate amount of the toxic heavy metals in MSW. (For example, EPA has
reported that as of 1995, nickel-cadmium batteries accounted for 75 percent of
the cadmium found in MSW.) When MSW is incinerated or disposed of in landfills,
toxics can potentially be released into the environment.
Organizations such as The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC)
(http://www.rbrc.org,) and Battery Council International
(http://www.batterycouncil.org) have proliferated to foster responsible battery
disposal practices. Much of this progress has come in response to far-reaching
legislation at the state and Federal level. Starting in 1989, 13 states took
the lead by adopting laws (including battery labeling requirements) to
facilitate the collection and recycling of used rechargeable batteries. In
1996, the U.S. Congress passed the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery
Management Act, which removed barriers to and helped facilitate the RBRC's
nationwide takeback program. In addition, many states have passed legislation
prohibiting incineration and landfilling of mercury-containing and lead-acid
batteries (Extended Product Responsibility: A New Principle for
Product-Oriented Pollution Prevention, University of Tennessee Center for Clean
Products and Clean Technologies, 1999).
You can do your part and take responsibility for your old or used batteries by
recycling them. Feel free to contact us with any questions regarding
environmental considerations. Thank you for choosing
BatteryValues.com. We care!
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