How many batteries are thrown away each year?

There are recycling and prevention campaigns on the use of batteries.

Batteries are generally composed of electrolytic cells containing two plates of different metals (cathode and anode) separated by an ionic solution (an electron-conducting medium between the two plates).

These cells are housed in a metal or plastic container. To separate the active elements, they contain paper or cardboard, as well as lead or cadmium to improve their construction, or mercury to limit corrosion. The function of mercury in batteries is to store the impurities contained in the raw materials, which generate gases that can impair the operation and safety of the battery.

Portable power tools, video cameras, cell phones, security devices, emergency lighting, medical equipment. Also in satellites orbiting the Earth.

It is the newest technology incorporated by the battery industry. The recharging process is considerably more complicated than Ni-Cd or Ni-MH, and requires a much more expensive recharging system.

Battery recycling in Mexico

NOM-052-SEMARNAT-1993 states that batteries and battery waste products are hazardous waste and must therefore be handled in accordance with the provisions of the Regulations of the General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (LEGEPA) on hazardous waste and the corresponding official Mexican standards and other applicable procedures.

Article 5, Section XXXII and Article 31, Section V of the General Law for the Prevention and Integral Management of Waste (LGPGIR) mentions that mercury- or nickel-cadmium-based (Hg, Ni-Cd) electric batteries and other batteries based on these toxic substances, as well as their containers, are hazardous waste.

Where to dispose of used batteries in monterrey 2021

In 2018, 106.6 million batteries were imported into Chile, equivalent to 2,338 tons placed on the market, of which less than 1% are valorized. This is one of the main data provided by a study carried out for the Ministry of the Environment in order to start preparing the regulation that will set the collection and recovery targets for batteries in the country, and which will define the main criteria and recycling obligations on the part of producers.

And one of the scenarios shown is that the import of batteries is generally decreasing, going from 133.1 million in 2002 – with a peak of 165 million units in 2010 – to 106 million in 2018, also projecting that it will follow a decreasing trend to 98.4 million in 2025.

In this scenario, the preparation of the decree that will regulate battery recycling in Chile presents a series of challenges, which were addressed in the study. One of them will be the regulation of producers, considering that today there are more than 3,700 importers that bring into the country between 200 and 250 different brands of batteries.

Mexican regulations for the disposal of batteries

Another answer to the question: what to do with used batteries is bricks. If you are thinking of building an ecological house, you may be interested in knowing how to make bricks from waste such as these. To make bricks from cement and batteries, more materials such as plastic bottles and sawdust are reused. Simply follow these steps: In this simple way, the batteries are insulated, preventing them from polluting the environment as long as they remain encapsulated. Also, remember that to build your own house it is advisable to have the help of experts on the subject and do not do everything on your own, so you will avoid some mistakes that are often made in these cases.

I am convinced that many of these batteries end up in the ordinary garbage, so you should make a policy of disclosure and awareness, where to direct the used batteries, because they must be, millions of these go to the environment.