Comments on: Can I Recycle My AA Batteries In New Zealand?

By: sheltron

sheltron — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:00:12 +0000

Thanks for your input Recyclette. Great ideas!

By: Recyclette

Recyclette — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:22:19 +0000

As with all recycling in NZ it is a case of critical mass…. and unfortunately we have a number of waste streams that are just not big enough to warrant the collection/transport costs. I save my batteries for the year and take them to the Hazmobile (hazardous waste collection) and at some point (so I’m told) when they have collected enough, they are incased in concrete (to neutralise the acid leaching) and placed in a Landfill.
Personally I think we should take the petroleum/heavy metal waste streams (that cannot be presently recycled), separate them and bury them ( bunded of course) to be mined in the future when critical mass has been reached and there is a shortage of oil.

By: sheltron

sheltron — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:34:59 +0000

Thanks Urban Miner. I guess we are waiting for the price of lead to go up further so it becomes viable to set up such collections.

By: Urban miner

Urban miner — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:54:45 +0000

Most, if not all dry cell batteries can be recycled. A bit of research and you will find places in New Zealand the will take them for recycling. Some will charge for their services and some will not. Give it time, and their will be drop off points in stores etc to recycle your dry cell batteries.

By: sheltron

sheltron — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:26:51 +0000

If I purchased a 48 pack I would be thinking ahead to the day I would throw them all out. I don’t think I could handle the guilt. I’d have to buy them 2 at a time so I wouldn’t feel so guilty.

By: Hulye

Hulye — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:37:21 +0000

I think another thing to think about regarding AA batteries, is why do they come in a package of 4 million? Who on earth needs 4 million AA batteries at once? Ok, I might exaggerate a tad here. But seriously. Today, I was at Target and they had a TON of AA batteries. Guess how much was in a pack? Forty-eight! Yup, that’s 48 in a pack for around 14 bucks.

I don’t know what’s wrong with the United States. They advocate environmentalism, but at the same time they selling 48 pack AA batteries.

News flash. My wall clock only needs one. Remote: two (or one). Maybe some gizmo you might find laying around in your house use four. I don’t have any device that would take 48 batteries. Not to mention, even if I had a device that would use 4, by the time you would get to the end of the 48 pack, they would go bad, or at least close to it. If the energizer bunny keeps running for years, how many years would it take me to use up 48 of ‘em?

Another thing to maybe think about, that I’d say most people who needs 4 AA batteries in a device would probably get rechargeable batteries as opposed to keep buying throw-away-ables.

So then, again, what’s up with the 48 pack AA batteries? Sheesh!