Dispose... this, and take heart.
Seems to me, batteries are nothing but trouble. And not only because I sometimes let them rot and corrode inside flashlights during the non-camping months, because light bulbs can corrode and get stuck, too. (Can so. In overhead lights. I've done it). At this time of year, it's my battery issues that surface, as we celebrate another bout of the tireless conspiracy to keep us dependent. Call it Hanukka, Christmas, Solstice, Eid, Kwanzaa, whatever. What we're really talking about is Battery Season. At least for now.
Batteries make all the gifts of the season work. They provide bright lights and cheerful sounds. They come along in packages like little uninvited guests that stroll right in, do the dishes, and then drop all your plates on the floor. And we have to ask ourselves that uncomfortable question: was it really worth it to let them in? Because once all the guests leave, you have a real mess on your hands. Batteries have to be disposed of properly, in order to avoid harm to yourself and to the planet. And while they might not have seemed expensive when you first bought them, the second set of 10 AAAs starts to feel pretty dear when it's not yet January. Is there an alternative?
Yep. You can pretty well slam the door in the face of disposable batteries, and buy rechargeable ones instead. They aren't perfect, and better is coming (see below), but they are the best of the moment. We sell batteries of all sizes and shapes, and we also sell rechargers that work for all those shapes. When I get on a battery tear, wondering what other household toxics we refer to as "disposable," I take a tiny bit of comfort in our use of rechargeables. And I take a great deal of hope from the strides made by brainy environmentally-minded scientists.
The laptop I'm writing this post on may soon be able to function with a long-lasting recyclable battery. Honest. Check out the new Sonata Lithium-ion battery from Boston Power, courtesy of GoodCleanTech. If a laptop can be fueled by a long-lasting earth-friendly alternative, why can't Slapstick Elmo or The Learned Poodle? OK, cost is an issue. But surely it's just a matter of time. And there's more hope, too. Click here for Earth2Tech's take on new thin film battery technologies, and the hope that they promise.
December may always be a wild ride of a month, but its days of being powered by disposable batteries are numbered. That's something to celebrate.
