Good engineer, please clean up the old battery!

In the United States alone, about 3 billion batteries will be discarded each year; the various unfriendly substances contained in spent batteries—including mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel—will be released into the natural environment.

Yesterday, when I got home from work, I discovered that my wife, Gina, was happily arranging Christmas. Those decorations included a battery-powered garland decorated with LED lights. She intended to hang it on the door. (Uh... I honestly said that my wife had wanted to A full circle of shiny LED Christmas bulbs on our door.

I don’t know where Gina took out the ornaments from the corner of our storeroom (I thought I was hiding very well) and I was surprised to find out that she had put my Emergency Reserve Battery 1 out. - Those batteries are the flashlights and radios I'm going to use for power outages! (Fortunately, she does not know - at least I think - I have another secret reserve battery, and I also have a reliable baby emergency generator ...)

The last time we used those shiny Christmas wreaths with batteries, Gina cleared out a bunch of old batteries, and many people should make a mistake - throw away those unwanted batteries as rubbish. This is a very bad one. Habit (and in some places it is a violation of environmental laws and regulations). According to statistics (from Google), the United States will generate 3 billion batteries per year. When these small objects are thrown into landfills or incinerators, they will release various bad substances into the environment.

Some people really don't know where to get those waste batteries, but most people are busy with no time as an excuse. In fact, they are too lazy to do those things; so the end result is, even if everyone knows that the waste It is wrong and guilty for the battery to be thrown away, but it is still thrown into the trash.

This is sad... Because there are many places where old batteries can be recycled. In the United States, non-profit organizations such as Call2Recycle can recycle waste batteries for free, and there are recycling sites in many places. I personally are used to carrying old batteries to nearby locations. The Batteries Plus Bulbs store is recycling. They claim to have more than 45,000 different battery and bulb products. Customers are also welcome to recycle used batteries.

In addition to battery recycling stations in large chain stores in Taiwan, such as convenience supermarkets, the EPA's website also provides a wealth of information on battery recycling sites and various precautions!

In any case, even if there are more convenient measures, we all know that someone will be too lazy to cope with battery recycling; they may shrug their shoulders and distort their facial expressions as they prepare to throw waste batteries into the trash can, but they will still let go of their hands... Therefore, we have a public morality, we should try to make those people willing to easily carry out environmental protection.

So, when I entered the office this morning, I took a cardboard box and put it on the “Battery Recycle Bin” label. I placed it next to the coffee machine in the tea room. In order to get started, I also took the first old battery I had brought from home. inside. I plan to take it back to the Batteries Plus Bulbs store near my house as long as the box is full.

Good engineers do environmental protection, recycling batteries is very important!

The box was only put for a few hours and I received several colleagues' admiration. They thought that my idea was very good. They were willing to bring the collected old batteries to the office for recycling. It made me feel warm... Every one of us can do a little power and make some effort to protect the earth!

As an engineer, you should have more than just a variety of batteries around your life (such as waste electronic parts, wires, equipment, instruments...). How do you personally or your team deal with it? Do you think that all kinds of measures and statutes for the recycling of used batteries and electronic products are adequate now? Or is it something that you think has been ignored in the EE world, but should be recycled or properly disposed of? Welcome to discuss!