Rechargeable batteries

Many portable electrical items come with their own in-built rechargeable batteries, for example, mobile phones, electric razors and laptops. Others require you to supply your own batteries. These include remote control hand sets, cameras and digital radios.

Normal, use-once batteries are expensive and bad for the environment as they contribute to landfill and once there, dangerous chemicals and heavy metals could leach out into the environment. The BBMA tends to refute this, but in 2000, general use batteries created 19000 tonnes of waste. They are also a waste of natural resources.



Rechargeable batteries are available that can be used in exactly the same way as use-once batteries. Once spent, the batteries can be recharged in a recharger that is attached to the mains electricity supply. Most batteries can be recharged upwards of a thousand times. Lots of different companies supply rechargeable batteries such as Energizer and Duracell.

You can also go one better and recharge your batteries using solar power. For example there is the Soldius 1 mobile phone charger, or the lovely looking Solio iPod and phone recharger.

Eventually, all batteries come to the end of their life, but they can still be recycled. For more information, see this fact sheet from Waste Online.


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