Everyone in their own way can help out the environment and prevent our planet from becoming polluted, just by changing the way we carry out everyday routines and habits can make a big difference. These changes dont have to be life-changing or even cost a lot of money and effort, many of them are very simple to facilitate. Recycling is simple enough to get involved in and every little effort helps, consider recycling your old batteries or even better using rechargeable ones. Most electrical items in use every day need batteries to make them work, why not switch to a rechargeable one instead of the disposable one time use alkaline batteries commonly used? It would mean less waste and pollution and they can be used just as easily as disposable batteries can.

As more and more batteries are used every day there is a demand for responsible and safe methods to dispose of them, or even better, to recycle. Batteries do contain harmful metals and chemicals, including lead acid nickel, mercury, which if not disposed of in a safely way will cause damage to the environment. Old, used batteries will if not disposed safely poison rivers and streams. If they are left to decompose naturally in a landfill the toxic substances within them are released and leak slowly into the surrounding soil, groundwater or surface water causing corrosion of the soil and serious health hazards for people and wildlife. If we were all to throw away our batteries after they have run out there would literally be millions of them littering the earth and polluting our atmosphere.

Nowadays in most districts, local authorities provide a recycling service or a collection point where people can take their electronic waste; used disposable batteries will be recycled and not dumped in a landfill to cause pollution. Recycling can save resources as the recovered plastic and metals can be used to produce new batteries.

There are some things to consider when trying to recycle and reduce your households battery waste. Always check first to see if you already have the batteries you need in the house before going out and buying more. If at all possible, try to find a product that can be operated by hand instead of the version that uses batteries.
Batteries contain varying levels of mercury so read the label to find out the mercury content and try to buy ones with a lower amount of mercury or heavy metals.

Rechargeable batteries are a much greener option than disposable batteries, mainly because they last so much longer and can be used over and over again. Compare using a rechargeable battery 300 times to having to buy 300 disposable one time use batteries. When calculated on a per use basis, rechargeable batteries cost far less and are worth the initial cost you have to pay.

Make sure you invest in quality batteries and a charger, if you buy cheap batteries from the local store then dont be surprised when they only last for a short time. Batteries can be recharged more than a hundred times or more before they need to be replaced. In the long term savings can be significant and with no further need to rush out to the stores to get a new battery you will save yourself time and effort too.

We use so many products in our daily lives that need batteries, everything from our laptops, iPods, watches, portable stereos, mobile phones and digital cameras, to top of the range childrens toys; they all require batteries to function. Batteries are essential for our lifestyle and used in countless products, how would everyday life be without our mobile phone or a wristwatch?

Check online for a choice of battery solutions and suppliers of rechargeable and standard single-use batteries. Rechargeable batteries have a far longer life span than one time use batteries and have the ability to last for years; some manufacturers claim their batteries can be expected to last as long as 3000 charge cycles. Start changing your battery habits today and do your little bit for the planet we live on.