Technology

59534 readers

3195 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

Follow the lemmy.world rules.
Only tech related content.
Be excellent to each another!
Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
Politics threads may be removed.
No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

Lithium-Ion Batteries Have Gone Too Far (www.theatlantic.com)

submitted 3 months ago by jeffw@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

23 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Non-paywall link: https://12ft.io/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/07/too-many-lithium-ion-batteries/679302/

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] CrimeDad@lemmy.crimedad.work 4 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I know it's okay to throw away traditional alkaline battery cells in the trash or the ocean or whatever, but I always thought that doing so was improper, so I've just been collecting a bag of them thinking that I'll eventually figure out how to dispose of them properly. The article implies that it's proper to just throw them in the trash. Is that true?

[–] Illogicalbit@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Recycle your old batteries https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/recycling/yes-you-need-to-recycle-your-old-batteries-a5385943645/

Most batteries—regardless of type—contain toxic chemicals. Think cadmium, lead, lithium, or sulfuric acid. If your old batteries end up in a landfill, pollutants like these can leak out and contaminate groundwater, damage fragile ecosystems, and potentially make their way into the food chain.

[–] BarbecueCowboy@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

From what I've heard, the real primary reason is fire risk. This is obviously not 100% true, but landfills should be isolated from the surrounding environment especially when it comes to fluids/etc that could leak into groundwater. There are a lot of processes they should already be following to keep that from happening.

[–] lost_faith@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Look for eco conscious companies in your area, even if they are just doing it for optics. The property management co I work in has a battery recycling bin in the main lobby, others keep them out of sight but are just a request away. I just did a ~~google~~ search of my area and there are so many listed. Search "Recycle batteries in [city]"

Edit: I don't use THAT search but it is so burnt into my mind I missed it there, sorry, lol

[–] scutiger@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

It's ok to use google as a verb. Using the word that way is how it becomes generic, which is something Google would really hate. Not that it's gonna happen anytime soon, but we can always try.