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Batteries

What is a battery?

A battery is a portable power source, converting chemical energy into electricity. Within the last few decades there has been a dramatic growth in the number and diversity of electrical and electronic products that use batteries. Most homes will contain many pieces of equipment that depend on batteries to operate, for example alarm clocks, toys, mobile phones, computers, watches, torches, power tools, radios and electric tooth-brushes.

As the number of battery-powered products has risen so has the consumption of batteries. For more information on the different types of batteries, please see Types of batteries and their recycling options.

Why should we be concerned about battery disposal?

Most batteries contain toxic heavy metals such as mercury, lead and cadmium. If batteries which contain these metals are disposed of incorrectly, the heavy metals can leach out and pollute the soil and groundwater, endangering people and the environment. Long term exposure to cadmium, a known human carcinogen, can cause liver and lung disease. Mercury can cause damage to the human brain, spinal system, kidneys and liver. Sulphuric acid in lead acid batteries can cause severe skin burns or irritation upon contact. Consumers can help protect themselves and the environment by properly disposing of all types of batteries.

Batteries contain a range of metals which can be reused as a secondary raw material. Reusing these resources reduces the environmental impact of extracting the primary raw material.

Although waste batteries are a relatively small amount of the solid waste stream, they are a concentrated source of heavy metals. The amount of these heavy metals may vary from battery to battery and some batteries are being manufactured without the addition of these heavy metals. It is estimated that there are 120 tonnes of batteries landfilled just in Christchurch each year.

How should batteries be disposed of safely?

There are well-established methods for the recycling of most batteries containing lead, nickel-cadmium, nickel hydride and mercury. Both non-rechargeable and rechargeable batteries are able to be recycled and wherever possible all should be disposed of safely. However, the infrastructure for recycling smaller batteries is relatively small in New Zealand.

For information on safe disposal and recycling of mobile phone batteries please see the fact sheet on disposing mobile phones.

What else can I do?

  • Plug appliances into the mains power supply as often as you can.
  • Use rechargeable batteries and a battery charger rather than non-rechargeable batteries. Not only is this environmentally preferable, it also saves energy because the energy needed to manufacture a battery is on average 50 times greater than the energy it provides. Rechargeable batteries will also save you money in the long run.
    Note:
    Rechargeable batteries are not suitable for smoke alarms as they tend to self-discharge, preventing the alarm from warning when the battery power is low.
  • If you must use single-use batteries, choose brands with the longest life and whenever possible purchase low mercury or zero mercury batteries.
  • When buying a new product, opt for appliances that can use power derived from alternative energy sources such as solar powered calculators or wind-up clocks and radios.
  • Participate in local authority battery collection schemes, such as the Hazmobile or drop-offs at the transfer station. If your local Council does not provide one at the moment, contact them and find out if they are planning to do so in the future.
  • If you are in a work place where significant volumes of spent batteries arise, check with the specialist companies listed for details of any collection and recycling service they may be able to provide.

Who offers collection or recycling services?

  • Several Local Authorities offer collection services for batteries. For example, Auckland Regional Council. For further information contact your Local Authority – details of all Local Authorities can be found on the Local Government website.
  • Your Local Authority can also advise you on any local battery collectors and recyclers such as:
    • Tredi New Zealand Ltd, has a programme to collect, sort and ship Nickel Cadmium batteries for recycling to France. They also collect and recycle Lithium-ion and Nickel Metal-Hydride batteries. Tredi can also recycle batteries containing mercury.
    • Medi-chem, a nationwide hazardous waste processing, disposal and recycling company, has a collection service for batteries containing nickel, cadmium and mercury.
    • Exide offer a recycling service for lead acid batteries. Exide has entered into an arrangement with Dominion Trading Co of Christchurch to collect and safely deliver scrap batteries to the Exide Technologies Recycling Centre in Petone. More than 500,000 scrap lead-acid batteries (e.g. car batteries) are safely recycled in New Zealand each year.
    • Sony has a small-scale battery collection point at its stores. They can accept all types of batteries that Sony products use but low volumes only.
    • Recell offer a service to replace the rechargeable Ni-Cad or Ni-MH batteries in power tools and other portable equipment. New cells are fitted into the old case and the used cells sent to Tredi for environmentally safe disposal.
    • Millennium batteries accepts Nickel Metal-Hydride and Nickel Cadmium batteries via a drop off service.
    • Energizer one of the world's largest manufacturer of dry cell batteries, their website covers product information and a section on the company’s environmental efforts.

Last updated: 12 March 2008