Battery recycling levels remain low, report finds
Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - 11:11:37
A new study into the proportion of used lithium ion batteries which are recycled has revealed that there is still a long way to go to make the mobile phone industry more sustainable.
The investigation, which focuses on battery recycling in Australia but is equally applicable in other developed nations, found that just two per cent of old cells were sent to be processed sustainably, according to the Guardian.
This means that the vast majority of rechargeable batteries, which power everything from smartphones to portable speaker systems, end up at landfill sites, where the dangerous materials they contain can do damage to the environment over protracted periods.
The main cause for this current state of affairs is the fact that most consumers are simply unaware that they have the option to recycle lithium ion batteries, as well as most other types of power-storing cells. Because of this, the report’s authors argue that more needs to be done to raise awareness about the benefits, which are both environmental and financial.
In the UK most supermarkets offer battery recycling drop-off bins, while dedicated recycling centres will also be equipped to handle this type of used electronic product.
The best option is to sell an old phone to a recycling company, as this will mean that the entire device, including the battery, will be handled with care by an organisation that has the resources to recoup valuable components and do away with any unwanted elements safely.
Even if a mobile phone battery suffers a fault, the device and the cell can still be recycled, so it is never advisable to simply toss an unwanted or damaged handset into the bin. Rather than adding to the thousands of tonnes of e-waste that are generated annually, recycling lets consumers take a more sustainable route.
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