Reducing your battery use, using rechargeable batteries, and recycling batteries responsibly can reduce your environmental impact.
Batteries often contain potentially harmful heavy metals such as mercury, lead and cadmium. In 2014, Call2Recycle estimates around 2,250 tonnes of batteries were sent to the landfill in BC alone. Disposing of batteries as regular trash has raised concerns over soil contamination and water pollution.
At the end of life, recycle your consumer batteries via Call2Recycle, which has drop-off stations across campus. Review the A-Z Recyclepedia to find out more.
Choose
- Minimal battery use, whenever possible
- Rechargeable batteries such as NiMH or Lithium ion, which don't contain heavy metals
- ENERGY STAR certified battery chargers, and unplug when not in use
- Maximize battery life and use according to manufacturer recommendations
- Recycle used batteries on campus or in your neighborhood
Avoid
- Single-use (i.e. non-rechargeable) batteries for high energy drain devices
- Purchasing low quality batteries, or more batteries than required
- Batteries manufactured with potentially harmful heavy metals such as mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd), including Ni-Cd rechargeables, which contain cadmium
- Disposing of batteries in landfills: always recycle batteries properly
Where to Purchase
Tips and Resources
- UBC Battery Recycling Program @ Okanagan campus
- UBC Battery Recycling Toolkit
- Call2Recycle
