Recycling Industrial Batteries

It is vitally important that humanity adjusts their behavior in order to live in harmony with the environment. Leaving behind an ecosystem that operates properly for future generations is only possible if everyone does his part. Many businesses, however, are not doing theirs. We can only succeed in keeping the planet green if they are on board. If the actions of businesses do not match those of the citizens, it is counterproductive and no progress can be made. There are several environmental hazards with which businesses tend to be rather careless, but they are particularly casual when it comes to industrial batteries. Materials such as lead, sulfuric acid, cadmium, and alkaline electrolytes are found in these batteries and can damage the environment irreparably if simply thrown out. Proper disposal is required in order to prevent adverse effects to the planet. Measures have been taken to ensure that businesses process their waste properly. Laws are in place that require businesses to take responsibility for their waste products. Once an industrial battery has been used up, it needs to be taken to a qualified disposal facility because the highly toxic materials found within are categorized as industrial waste. Many businesses must take the used batteries to professional processors and regionally approved handlers because they do not often have adequate processing facilities on site. Once a battery is used, it must be taken to a plant that is qualified to handle it in order to diminish any harm that might come to the environment. Following are the legal measures required of companies that utilize industrial batteries:

- A person qualified in handling industrial waste must be designated to do so.

- You must find a specialist subcontractor to collect and transport your used industrial batteries.

- Accurate records must be maintained regarding the number of batteries purchased and used. This data must be provided to the subcontractor.

Performing these duties is not an option. It is a legal requirement. Large fines are handed down to companies found noncompliant with the legal mandates enforced by the nation. Additionally, fines are not the only financial hardship a business faces if they choose to break the law. Imagine the public relations headache such a company would face. In a world in which it is more important than ever to go green, potential customers and businesses tend to shy away from a business that appears as if they do not care about the environment.

Find Out Why You Should Recycle Paper

Not enough people recycle the paper that they use, which is a real shame because there are many benefits to be had from doing so. What are those benefits? Well, these are some of the main ones…

- As paper is made from trees, the less paper we use the less trees have to be cut down. The effect of cutting down trees is devastating on the environment. Whole ecosystems can come to an end as a result of just part of a forest being cut down. Therefore, recycling paper saves many animals and a lot of plant-life. There is also the visual impact that deforestation to consider. Google the term ‘deforestation’ and see for yourself what a stain excessively cutting down trees leaves on our planet.

- A lot of everyday items (newspapers, Cardboard Boxes, envelopes, egg cartons, paper towels, toilet paper, etc.) can be made from recycled paper. These items do the same job whether they are made from ‘new’ paper or recycled paper, so it makes so no sense to not make them from recycled paper. The problem is we are not recycling enough paper to be able to make these items from only recycled paper.

- Money can be saved in two ways by recycling paper. Firstly, from a manufacturing point of view, it costs much less to turn waste paper into new paper products than it does to turn trees into new paper products. Secondly, as consumers, by buying recycled products we can save money as they nearly always cost less than ones made from virgin pulp. In these harsh economic times, avoiding unnecessary leakage in any part of the economy makes sense.

- Recycled paper products conserve resources and generate less pollution during manufacturing. This is because the fibers have already been processed once. It also reduces solid waste because it takes usable paper out of the waste stream. That means less total energy, water, and chemical use, and lower releases of air and water pollutants.

- Producing recycled paper uses much less total energy than producing virgin paper. Depending on the grade of paper, producing recycled paper may use less purchased energy in the form of fossil fuels and electricity. Pretty much all of the energy that we use damages the environment in one way or another, and so we should save what we can where we can.

Learn About Battery Recycling

There are various types of consumer batteries on the market today, from the lead-acid batteries we all use in our cars to the small button batteries we use in our watches. There are household batteries like AA, AAA, C, D and also the 9-volt type. Some of them are rechargeable, some are not, but, whatever the type of battery, they all have chemicals inside them - the three worst ones being lead, cadmium, and mercury.

As it stands, only around three to five per cent of all batteries are actually recycled. Most old batteries end up in a landfill, where they leak toxic chemicals into the soil. Recycling batteries at designated recycling plants really makes a difference, and goes a long way to helping protect the environment. Most of us recycle at least some paper, plastic or glass, so why not batteries too?

Some people say that recycling batteries is too difficult or inconvenient, but that is no more than an excuse, and a poor one at that. Lots of supermarkets have recycling points for batteries, and you can also find them in some libraries and schools. All you have to do is take your batteries and drop them in a box. Not hard, right? If you cannot think of anywhere in your local area that recycles batteries than do a quick search on Google for ‘recycle batteries + the name of your town’.

What follows is a list of the most common types of batteries and a brief look at if / how they can be recycled…

Button batteries : These small circular batteries are found in watches and hearing aids. If they are recycled then the mercury-oxide or silver-oxide within them can be reclaimed and used in the production of new batteries. They do not always advertise the fact (though they should do), but jewelers and pharmacies are happy to take these expired batteries from you.

Car batteries : Companies who sell car batteries are legally obliged in most countries to help with the recycling of expired car batteries, and so you can take your old ones to them and let them take care of the rest of the process. They will have contacts who can melt down the plastic components (to be used for new plastic products) and turn the lead into new batteries.

Household batteries : These are the ones used in clocks, toys, torches, etc. and you no doubt have lots of them in your house at this very moment. Unfortunately, they are not that easy to recycle, however, that does not mean that you should simply throw them in the trash when they have stopped working. You should still take them to battery recycling points so that they can be disposed of properly.

So, you now know about the importance of recycling batteries and also how to go about doing your bit to help the environment. Your contribution may seem like a small, insignificant one, but it is because too many people are of that mindset that we have the environmental problems that we face now.

Find Out More - Battery Disposal

What World War Two Taught Us About Recycling

Most people consider recycling to be a recent phenomenon, however, there is evidence of recycling from as long ago as 400BC. It was around the mid 1900s though that recycling was first done a mass scale.

During the World War II, resources were hard to come by and Governments ran massive recycling campaigns to ensure as little as possible was wasted. Here are a few examples of what was recycled and for what reason…

- Tins and metal were recycled for use in aircraft, tanks and weapons.

- Left over food provided feed for pigs, chickens and goats and people would bring their scraps to communal bins.

- Rubber was recycled to make new tires.

- Boiled bones were used to make glue for aircraft or made into glycerin for explosives.

People were also encouraged to repair belongings rather than buy new. Campaigns like ‘Make Do & Mend’ gave advice on how to recycle textiles and make clothes last longer. Knitting also became very popular during the Second World War.

On war time rations, families had to plan meals carefully to ensure that food did not go to waste. With no fridges or freezers, perishable food had to be purchased in small quantities and meals were made with some interesting substitutes. Meat fat was saved to make pastry, and even the cream from milk was collected in a jar and shaken to make butter.

It is sad that it took people so long to recognize the importance of recycling, and also that it required such miserable circumstances to draw it to our attention. These days, we realize the importance of recycling to preserve the Earth’s resources, save money, reduce pollution and help combat climate change.

However, we are still falling well below targets for diverting waste from landfill sites. Though we know what we should be doing, and though it is not difficult for us to do it, there is still a very much laid back attitude to recycling. Too many of us simply cannot be bothered to recycle.

The uses of recyclable materials are different now from what they were 60 years ago, but we can still look to our grandparents and the older generations for tips and inspiration. If they could do it, then why can’t we recycle too? We should all be doing what we can now, and not be waiting for a major crisis to kick-start us into mass recycling again.
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Ware 4 Recycling Bins Ltd have been promoting cost effective recycling bins, trolleys and waste containers for over 5 years.

Good Reasons To Recycle Paper

The environment benefits greatly from paper being recycled and, fortunately, it is not at all difficult to do. Once it has been collected (by either your local authority or a recycling company acting on their behalf), it is taken to a paper mill, who take care of the rest of the recycling process.

Once at the mill, the scrap paper is added to water and then turned into pulp. Having been turned into pulp, it is then cleaned and de-inked. It is then ready to be made into new products such as newspapers, toilet rolls and other paper based items commonly found in the home and office.

Below are some of the environmental and money saving benefits of recycling paper:

Saves Trees - The most obvious reason to recycle paper is for saving trees which provide vital oxygen for the planet. Just 1 ton of recycled paper saves at least 16 of them.

Wildlife Preservation - More often than not, the wildlife that lives in the trees that are cut down to make ‘new’ paper, die quickly because they cannot adapt to living anywhere else. Recycling paper means that they can die natural deaths instead of forced ones.

Less Water Consumption - To make ‘new’ paper requires vast amounts of water, whereas the process of recycling paper uses up much less of this important resource.

Saves Electricity - Producing electricity seriously damages the environment, but more than 400 kilowatt hours are saved by recycling 1 ton of paper.

Reduces Oil Dependence - Recycling paper reduces our dependence on oil. For every ton of paper that is recycled, approximately 2 barrels of oil are saved.

Saves Space - Recycling paper reduces space in landfills. 1 ton of recycled paper made from scraps can save 3 cubic yards.

Less Pollution - Paper can burn in municipal waste incinerators that can spew out all kinds of air pollutants. When many incinerators are in urban locations, everyone would benefit from breathing better air if there were fewer of them.

Creates Jobs - Think about all the people who work within the paper recycling industry. Collectors, sorters and machine operators being just a few of them. The more that we recycle, the more of these jobs there will be created.

Paper Logs - Many people are now turning to paper logs as a supplementary fuel source. Consisting of tightly compressed briquettes of paper, these logs can be thrown on a fire or used in a wood burner to provide heat for free.

Cheaper Paper - Recycled paper is often cheap to purchase. Buying cheaper, recycled goods encourages more recycled goods to be manufactured, sustaining the recycling industry.
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http://www.paperlogmaker.org.uk is a website dedicated to the recycling of paper. At their site you can find out what a paper log maker is and how it can help you recycle paper.

Recycling - Why You Should Recycle Steel And Aluminum Cans

Each and every year thousands upon thousands of tons of trash is poured into landfills. Though we are in no immediate danger of running short on landfill space, this is expensive in terms of time, space, and energy invested, as well as the sheer waste of materials that will not ever be used again. With that in mind, consider the reasons below for keeping your aluminum and steel cans out of the landfill by recycling them instead.

- Aluminum that has been recycled is back in use again within a couple of months. In contrast, it would take 200-500 years for that same to break down naturally if were just thrown away.

- Recycling is not just about material savings, but also about energy consciousness. Every aluminum can which is recycled saves enough energy to run a tv for 3 hours; one pound of cans recycled will save enough energy to run it for four days!

- Metal cans can be exchanged for cash at many places. Various states offer five cents per can recycled, and certain centers offer between a dollar and two dollars per pound of cans recycled.

- Recycled steel and aluminum are no different in composition from ‘new’ aluminum and steel. Recycled metals are simply melted down and then forged into new products, which can then be recycled again when they are finished being used.

- On average, Americans recycle 105,784 aluminum cans per minute. The majority of that number is a result of particular communities working hard on special projects that they set-up, and that is something that you should encourage those in your neighborhood to take up, as recycling can bring communities together.

- The 100,000,000 ‘new’ steel cans made every day contain 25% recycled materials. That equates to 25 million reclaimed cans vs. 75 million completely new cans. If more people recycled, that number would soon become 50-50 and a great deal of resources and energy would be saved.

- The United States currently uses steel which is more than 65 percent recycled. That is not too bad, but there is definitely room for improvement. Significant further progress would be made if more people were aware that they can recycle their steel cans.

- There are multiple can-crushing machines on the market that can be used to make the job easier, and you can even make a home-made one for free. This removes the a commonly used excuse that recycling cans takes up too much space within your home.
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http://www.cancrusher.org.uk is a site offering information about recycling aluminum and steel cans.