It is true that nearly every device contains one type of battery or other. These range from the large batteries found in vehicles right through those found in mobile phones, laptops and children's toys. The number of batteries that you have and are responsible for can be truly astounding.

What you may not know is that a lot of batteries are now classified as toxic and hazardous waste. Another thing that you may not know is that it is also now possible to recycle batteries in order to reduce the harm that they do to the environment. The other thing that you can do to help reduce environment risk, along with recycling, is by using battery chargers and rechargeable batteries where possible.

The problem with batteries is that they contain hazardous chemicals and heavy metals that can leak out and cause devastating damage to the environment. These chemicals and metals can leak into the ground or into rivers causing immediate and lasting damage. Batteries can be made from many different types of metals, all of which are damaging. Car batteries can be made from lead-acid, and are extremely hazardous; other batteries are alkaline batteries and recycling batteries, all of which can be recycled.

Currently in the UK less than 2% of the batteries used are recycled. This is one of the lowest battery recycling rates in the whole of Europe and is rather embarrassing. With such a low rate of battery recycling, things have to change and the government has published a directive on batteries. This directive is likely to take effect at the end of September 2008.

So what can you do to help? Firstly you must never ever throw batteries away with 'normal' waste. In daily waste there are simple too many chances for the batteries to become crushed, exposing the environmentally damaging materials.

Even if the battery isn't crushed then sitting in landfill for a number of years will certainly erode the battery’s cover, releasing the toxic metals and chemicals. Where possible batteries should be returned to the supplier, although this isn't always possible or even practical. Obviously with smaller batteries, say for TV remote controls, returning the battery to the shop from which it was bought just isn't an option.

However, there will be a battery recycling centre in your vicinity so the other option is to find out where it is. Taking your batteries to a battery recycling plant will no doubt seem like another hassle that you are unwilling to add to recycling confusion, but as a potentially toxic item of rubbish it is incumbent on all of us to ensure batteries are disposed of correctly.

By far the best thing to do is use rechargeable batteries and an appropriate battery charger as much as you can. Vehicle batteries are already rechargeable and rechargeable batteries can be bought for every other type of appliance. There are also so many companies that sell battery chargers for all battery shapes and sizes.

There are two reasons why recharging batteries is better for the environment than buying non-rechargeable one. At first thought it may seem that the amount of energy used to charge the batteries is defeating the object but this isn't the case. Batteries take far much more energy to make and charge in a factory environment for one-off use than it does to create a rechargeable battery that can be charged again and again from the mains with a battery charger. Secondly rechargeable batteries can be recharged hundreds of times which means that there are less batteries in general and therefore less to dispose of and less toxic waste.

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