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the reason people dump batteries is because doing so the proper way is often onerous. In my parents locale, you have to contact the sanitation department ahead

the reason people dump batteries is because doing so the proper way is often onerous. In my parents locale, you have to contact the sanitation department ahead of time, arrange a drop off time, head to the place, provide ID (to confirm you're not from somewhere else?) , etc. A lot easier to just throw it in the trash.

JumpCrisscross 4y ago
> because doing so the proper way is often onerous Or badly publicized. The Goodwill around the corner is a designated battery drop-off site. You would never know it without specifically looking that up.
- LeifCarrotson 4y ago
  If you could just throw "Battery recycling" into Apple/Google Maps or OpenStreetMap (which has Tag:amenity=recycling and recycling:batteries for the purpose), I think you'd get a lot of these issues resolved. None of these offer reasonable results when I look this up near me. People know they're supposed to recycle batteries. My old employer had a bin of dead cell phones, laptop batteries, and power tool batteries (and people kept throwing in alkalines); my parents inexplicably had a cardboard box fire hazard for a similar purpose but don't know where to bring them. One tool that does this is https://www.call2recycle.org/locator/ https://www.call2recycle.org/locator/ (they might get would get better coverage in some demographics with "text2recycle" or "websearch2recycle" domains). Why the data isn't in the tools people typically use to find this information, I don't know - it seems to be a political rather than technical problem. There's a Lowes, Home Depot, Comprenew, Goodwill, and sanitary transfer station that all take these batteries for free with a minimum of fuss, and are all within 5 miles of both of the aforementioned boxes of spicy pillows. But you have to know that to use them.
  - JumpCrisscross 4y ago
    > If you could just throw "Battery recycling" into Apple/Google Maps or OpenStreetMap (which has Tag:amenity=recycling and recycling:batteries for the purpose), I think you'd get a lot of these issues resolved. None of these offer reasonable results when I look this up near me This is a great idea.
IshKebab 4y ago
Also removing batteries is often impossible, e.g. smoke detectors that have them soldered in. All you need to solve this issue is: 1. All batteries must be easily removable with no screws (except for toys). 2. All supermarkets must accept waste batteries of any form.
pwg 4y ago
> the reason people dump batteries is because doing so the proper way is often onerous. Another likely reason, and likely the biggest one as well, is: how many folks, outside of the HN/techie crowd, are even aware of what "kind" of battery is in their various devices and is even aware that there are special rules for many battery types? Yes, the user guides (if one is even provided) do often have a page about "do not throw in the trash" -- but how many actually read the guides, much less the "warnings" page? And, more importantly, how many even know where the guide is at the end-of-life for the device when they are throwing it away in order to look up what special handling is needed? Yes, there's the trashcan with the slash icon on the back of the device. How many of the non-HN/techie crowd even know what that icon means to register enough that there is something 'different' about this item vs. everything else they throw away? And, how many even think to look on the back vs. just tossing the device in a trash bin?
- serf 4y ago
  > how many folks, outside of the HN/techie crowd, are even aware of what "kind" of battery is in their various devices and is even aware that there are special rules for many battery types? why do they bother needing to know? If it has a battery : "Right this way!" . and more specifically -- nearly every 'high-tech' device of any kind has a battery that requires precaution during the post-consumer phase -- is it even worth distinguishing what kind of battery goes where at this point for the consumer, aside from an allowed luxury of chucking something carelessly into the trash?
sirsinsalot 4y ago
In the UK every Tesco supermarket (at least) has a battery disposal box. I never see it used. I'm not sure even ready access to disposal works.

JumpCrisscross 4y ago

> because doing so the proper way is often onerous Or badly publicized. The Goodwill around the corner is a designated battery drop-off site. You would never know it without specifically looking that up.

LeifCarrotson 4y ago
If you could just throw "Battery recycling" into Apple/Google Maps or OpenStreetMap (which has Tag:amenity=recycling and recycling:batteries for the purpose), I think you'd get a lot of these issues resolved. None of these offer reasonable results when I look this up near me. People know they're supposed to recycle batteries. My old employer had a bin of dead cell phones, laptop batteries, and power tool batteries (and people kept throwing in alkalines); my parents inexplicably had a cardboard box fire hazard for a similar purpose but don't know where to bring them. One tool that does this is https://www.call2recycle.org/locator/ https://www.call2recycle.org/locator/ (they might get would get better coverage in some demographics with "text2recycle" or "websearch2recycle" domains). Why the data isn't in the tools people typically use to find this information, I don't know - it seems to be a political rather than technical problem. There's a Lowes, Home Depot, Comprenew, Goodwill, and sanitary transfer station that all take these batteries for free with a minimum of fuss, and are all within 5 miles of both of the aforementioned boxes of spicy pillows. But you have to know that to use them.
- JumpCrisscross 4y ago
  > If you could just throw "Battery recycling" into Apple/Google Maps or OpenStreetMap (which has Tag:amenity=recycling and recycling:batteries for the purpose), I think you'd get a lot of these issues resolved. None of these offer reasonable results when I look this up near me This is a great idea.

IshKebab 4y ago

Also removing batteries is often impossible, e.g. smoke detectors that have them soldered in. All you need to solve this issue is: 1. All batteries must be easily removable with no screws (except for toys). 2. All supermarkets must accept waste batteries of any form.

pwg 4y ago

> the reason people dump batteries is because doing so the proper way is often onerous. Another likely reason, and likely the biggest one as well, is: how many folks, outside of the HN/techie crowd, are even aware of what "kind" of battery is in their various devices and is even aware that there are special rules for many battery types? Yes, the user guides (if one is even provided) do often have a page about "do not throw in the trash" -- but how many actually read the guides, much less the "warnings" page? And, more importantly, how many even know where the guide is at the end-of-life for the device when they are throwing it away in order to look up what special handling is needed? Yes, there's the trashcan with the slash icon on the back of the device. How many of the non-HN/techie crowd even know what that icon means to register enough that there is something 'different' about this item vs. everything else they throw away? And, how many even think to look on the back vs. just tossing the device in a trash bin?

serf 4y ago
> how many folks, outside of the HN/techie crowd, are even aware of what "kind" of battery is in their various devices and is even aware that there are special rules for many battery types? why do they bother needing to know? If it has a battery : "Right this way!" . and more specifically -- nearly every 'high-tech' device of any kind has a battery that requires precaution during the post-consumer phase -- is it even worth distinguishing what kind of battery goes where at this point for the consumer, aside from an allowed luxury of chucking something carelessly into the trash?

sirsinsalot 4y ago

In the UK every Tesco supermarket (at least) has a battery disposal box. I never see it used. I'm not sure even ready access to disposal works.