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How full is your AA cup?

Submitted by idealbite on Fri, 10/13/2006 - 6:00pm.
The Bite:
Old batteries pile up quick. Starve a landfill by keeping a cup for old alkalines in a cup or box, and then dropping it off once a year for recycling. Next, help your wallet by switching to rechargeable batteries and solar powered gadgets to power up, sans waste.
The Benefits: 
  • Solar chargers that tap the power of the sun make sense for your wallet. After the initial investment, you're home-free.
  • New rechargeable batteries can be charged up to 1000 times. You'll save hundreds.
  • Rechargeable batteries come in every shape and size, from AA to D and beyond.
  • When they're dead, recycle both regular alkalines and rechargeables, since we Americans currently landfill the weight of about 5,967,000 desktop computers in batteries each year.
Personally Speaking: 
Jen's cup is so full that taking it in for recycling is at the top of her to-do list. It's all good in Bite techie Brett's 'hood with his Solio charger, which he uses for his mp3 player and cell phone on weekend hikes in the Bozeman mountains.
Wanna Try: 
  • Power Film Foldable Solar Charger ($300) and AA/AAA Charger ($40) - originally designed for our troops, this solar film's super-light.
  • Solio - the sweetest little portable charger around. Plug into your cell phone or mp3 player for a quick fix ($100).
  • The Big Green Box - postage-paid recycling bin for as many as 40 lbs of battery waste - just take it to the post office when full ($58).
  • Green Batteries - carries (almost) every rechargeable battery under the sun, plus home plug-in options for those who live in eternal darkness and can't use solar.
  • Earth911 and Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation - locate your nearest recycling drop-off site.
  • FYI: Rechargeables lose their juice faster than non-rechargeable alkalines. As a result, you probably want to stick with conventional batteries in your smoke alarm.

Related Blog Post: Hippity Hop Hop

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