Batteries can be recycled at local recycling centres and most hardware stores.
Kate Hall is one of New Zealand Herald’s lifestyle contributors. Based in Auckland, she covers sustainable and conscious living and ethical consumerism.
OPINION
Old batteries are a ticking time bomb in recycling and general waste bins, but some simple changes in how you get rid of your batteries can prevent costly truck fires. Ethically Kate explains what to do with them instead (and how it can even save you money).
There were three rubbish truck fires in the past few months in Auckland. Three! I was made privy to this concerning news by the lady who checks everyone’s recycling bins.
As I pounded the pavements on my morning run last week, I stopped to ask her how my local area was doing. “Not good,” she said. “It used to be so much better. And people keep putting batteries in their recycling bins which sets the trucks on fire.”
So here I am, putting out literal fires and telling you where to dispose of your old batteries so you stop setting fire to rubbish trucks.
How do batteries cause fires?
Batteries on their own are not strictly dangerous, but when they come into contact with other materials in the bin or heat up due to compression, they can ignite. Imagine a battery in a mixed recycling truck. It’s highly likely to get squashed, compacted, punctured, or soaked in various liquids.
When batteries come into contact with other materials in the bin or heat up due to compression, they can ignite. Photo / 123rf
This can cause the battery, particularly if it’s lithium, to heat up and ignite. Millions of dollars of damage have been caused by people throwing their batteries into recycling and general waste bins without thought or with innocent wishful thinking that maybe it will get to the right place and be recycled.
One of the most recent truck fires in Waimauku was caused by a battery coming into contact with exposed copper wiring from an electric deep fryer (which also shouldn’t have been in the recycling bin).
In 2024 so far there have been 13 recycling and rubbish truck fires within the Auckland region. Three of the trucks were damaged so severely that they were taken off the road for repairs.
Regardless of if a battery ignites or not, batteries contain harmful chemicals that put our truck drivers, waste management workers, and the environment at risk. I know it’s so easy to throw your batteries in your kerbside bin, but let’s avoid unnecessary fires and spend a tiny amount of extra time putting them where old batteries are meant to go.
Where to put your batteries instead
Recycle your batteries at your local recycling centre, most hardware stores (eg. Bunnings and Mitre 10), and use the WasteMINZ guide to New Zealand facilities that accept household batteries.
Dropping them off to these specific battery collection points not only keeps batteries out of landfills but also means they can be kept in our resource pool.
When disposed of responsibly, up to 95% of a battery can be recycled. For example, alkaline batteries, most commonly used in things like remote controls and flashlights, are broken apart so the different elements can be separated. Some parts of the separated battery are processed in a rotary kiln to transform magnesium oxide content into zinc oxide. These elements are used as additives in producing things like ceramics.
Lithium batteries, more commonly used in phones and other electronic devices, are recycled differently. The copper, cobalt, and nickel is extracted from them to be used in the manufacturing of new batteries and other metal-based products.
Rechargeable batteries have been around for years. Photo / 123rf
Can I avoid using batteries altogether?
I’m constantly surprised that we still allow items to be made that require single-use batteries to work. Rechargeable batteries have been around for years, providing a way to not only avoid hazardous waste but also reduce our reliance on the finite metals used to produce batteries.
I use Pale Blue batteries which charge with a USB-C cable. I can plug multiple in at the same time, using my phone charger! With 1000 charge cycles, over time I am saving a lot of money and I didn’t have to buy one of those annoyingly large rechargeable battery chargers.
The future of batteries seems like it’s finally here and I hope that soon our contaminated waste systems can breathe a little sigh of relief.
We’ve all done it at least once; at some point, we’ve convinced ourselves that anything we put in our recycling bin will end up being recycled. But especially when it comes to batteries, we must think carefully about everything we put in there. Let’s make it our collective goal to keep rubbish trucks from setting on fire.
