We are inviting illness in form of these daily use batteries here’s how.

Hello Medium Users👋

Over time, when the covering of these batteries, or dry cells, corrode, the heavy metals inside mix with the soil. Eventually, they may also contaminate ground and surface water and enter our food chain through fruits and vegetables, the report by Toxic Link added. Some of the metal also get burnt in landfill and pollute the air we breathe,

As much as 90% of zinc-carbon cells used in batteries every year in India end up in landfills, according to a new report.

Direct or indirect consumption of heavy metals may have neurological impacts, damage the kidney, and even cause cancer. The problem is not limited to zinc-carbon.

“Careless disposal of Ni-Cd [nickel-cadmium] batteries, for example, lead to the corrosion of its metallic cylinder in the landfill. Eventually, cadmium dissolves and seeps into the soil, water supply, and food system.

“Cadmium exposure leads to respiratory problems with increasing possibilities of lung cancer, birth defect, bone deformities, known nephrotoxic affecting kidney, associated with progressive renal tubular dysfunction, severe osteoporosis and osteomalacia, anemia and yellowing of teeth, etc,” The report presents an estimate that India’s dry cell market will be worth 8.6 billion US dollars — almost Rs 60,000 crore at the current exchange rate — by 2022. Unlike in most places, India’s battery market is dominated by zinc-carbon cells (97 percent), which are non-rechargeable.

The organization also did a study to find out how households in Delhi disposed of used batteries. A whopping 92.5 percent of households reported being throwing in dustbins without any segregation — which will ultimately be going to landfills via small ragpickers.

There is not enough regulation for the disposal of small batteries, typically used in cameras, clocks, flashlights, calculators, radios, alarms, watches, hearing aids, mobile phones, toys, etc. They are made of various metals like zinc, lithium, nickel, lead, cadmium, etc, and other elements like carbon or are alkaline-solution-based cells. Zinc-carbon-based are the most-sold batteries. In terms of size, the AA size was the most in-demand.

Indian regulation covers only big lead-acid batteries. Even those recycling rules remain mostly on paper. The law mandates a deposit-return system. Retailers sell used batteries to formal recyclers, who in turn, are supposed to recycle the lead.

The report, however, underscored those small batteries are mentioned in Solid Waste Management Rules (SWM): they are clubbed as ‘domestic hazardous waste’ with paints and pesticides, compact fluorescent lamps, expired medicines, etc.

SWM mandates segregation of such waste at source and deposition centers. Experts, however, seek separate centers for batteries and an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to ensure recycling on the lines of plastic, tin, glass, sanitary napkins, etc but.

There are only 17 disposal sites for such hazardous waste, leaving ample scope for such waste to go to landfills. And that’s the way would seemingly be without an EPR.

The transboundary movement of such batteries is restricted. The Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary) Rules, 2015, which regulates the import and export of various hazardous waste, don’t cover small batteries.

Directives in Europe and Canada and waste classification legislation in California have intensified discussions about end-of-life battery regulations all over the world. These legislations have pushed for the recycling of battery waste.

Many life-cycle assessments have shown recycling programs reduce the impact of batteries at end-of-life when compared to landfilling. “Though safe disposal and recycling of the domestic battery waste was recognized in developed countries way back in the nineties considering the consequence of their increased consumption, India still lags far behind in addressing them,”

Lithium batteries can even ignite a fire if crushed and left exposed in landfills.

Conclusion In this busy and rapidly growing world, We must not neglect the importance of our health. It's a matter of time, more and more people will be comprehending about use of a clean source of energy but meanwhile, let us see why these household batteries necessitate being replaced and primarily eliminated from our planet.

To catch up and stay informed on Aloe Token’s work, make sure to follow us on various social media.

Twitter |Telegram | Medium | Facebook

And please feel free to send a mail to contact@aloeecell.io if you have more questions.