by Ross Voorhees

Created on: February 08, 2009

While I understand that people have a right to believe what they want, I find it hard to understand how anyone could seriously consider that simply throwing batteries away is an option. Batteries contain lead, cadmium, nickel, mercury, phosphorus, lithium, acids, alkalies, and many other seriously poisonous chemicals.

These materials are extremely hazardous, and the pollution caused by disposing of batteries in landfills have become a serious threat to farmlands, water tables, wildlife, and inevitably, all of us. while it is currently legal to dispose of batteries by throwing them away, we are seeing the first signs of the coming disaster caused by doing so. Anyone who doubts this need only consider the effect of pharmaceutical disposal, which was once also considered to be no big deal.

It's an established fact that the disposing of old prescription medicines has led to the presence of a veritable "soup" of medicinal chemicals detectable in the drinking water of every urban area of the United States. The result of our poor handling of these medicines has resulted in an increase in drug-resistant strains of life-threatening bacteria, a substantial rise in birth defects and premature births, and a whole host of related medical conditions.

Now consider the effect of several times the volume of chemicals and heavy metals present in batteries on top of what we already have, and the ramifications are downright frightening.

Many people argue against recycling batteries due to the cost of handling and reclaiming the materials present in batteries, and whether or not we can afford that cost. A better question is, can we afford NOT to recycle? While the initial cost of recycling may be higher, the cost over time in health issues alone from not recycling will eclipse any start up and maintenance cost of dedicated recycling centers. If we consider the environmental threat to wildlife and ultimately, our delicate food chain, it becomes obvious that no amount of money can replace the links in that food chain lost to something so easily preventable.

The bottom line is, we are a nation of consumers, a disposable society, and we have to make up our minds whether or not this is what we truly want and need to be. Yes, we have a right to do what we want as long as it remains legal. But ultimately, we need to stop thinking about rights and begin focuing on responsibilities. If we choose to be a disposable nation, then we must accept the responsibilities that come with that, and there is no greater responsibility than proper handling of the materials we insist on using for our own convenience.

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