Green batteries: powering innovation.

Battery makers are all charged up over the future of batteries. Duracell, Eveready and Rayovac, titans in the battery field, are revolutionizing how we power up everything from Walkmans to laptop computers. "Better rechargeables and new alkaline [traditional] batteries with virtually no mercury will save landfill space and address environmental concerns,' predicts Duracell's James Donahue.

But environmentalists are not quite as electrified over the tiny power sources, considering that, in many areas of the country, there are still no effective disposal programs for either single-use or rechargeable batteries. The numbers can be staggering: Americans go through 2.5 billion batteries per year, most of which wind up in local landfills. That boils down to about two pounds of batteries per household per year. And although batteries make up less than half of one percent of U.S. waste by weight, leaching and decomposing batteries contribute to more than 50 percent of the mercury and cadmium in landfills, according to a survey by the San Francisco Recycling Program. Such toxic heavy metals can contaminate groundwater, posing a risk to the communities served by the water source.

Unfortunately, the traditional alkaline batteries, which account for over 90 percent of household batteries used today, cannot, be recharged. And while the amount of mercury they contain has decreased 71 percent since 1981, a year's production still makes use of about 170 tons of the toxic substance. And, despite manufactuters' assurances to the contrary, disposal even of the newer mercury-reduced alkaline batteries is still a big problem. Says Judith Kornberg, of the New York City-based Environmental Action Coalition (EAC), "If their outer casings corrode, they could leak what little mercury they have." Mercury and silver oxide batteries - those tiny button batteries used in watches - are likewise not rechargeable, creating further disposal problems.

Reduce, Re-Use, Recharge

There are many rechargeable batteries available, but only a few are widely used. By far the most common are nickel cadmium or "ni-cads" - the small sealed units that run hand-held video games and other gadgets. "We certainly believe in rechargeables," says Richard Denison, a scientist, at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). "One rechargeable can replace dozens of disposables. But ni-cads have their own problems." Indeed, most rechargeables eventually wind up in the trash themselves when the appliance they Power is thrown away, Denison notes. That translates into 1,200 tons of toxic cadmium landfilled or incinerated each year. What's worse, when ni-cads get wet, they have a tendency to leak, swell, even explode. "Cadmium is not something you want in a regular landfill," Denison says.

New on the market are the nickel metal hydride, batteries now powering up man a laptop computer. Referred to as "Ni-MH' batteries, the hydrides are truly green power sources. These batteries, now available in AA and C sizes through Progressive Power and other retailers, hold a greater charge than ni-cads, are about as powerful, and can be recharged in the same chargers - and they do it all without the toxic cadmium. The manufacturer, Harding Energy Systems, says that the five-metal alloy they use to substitute for the cadmium is non-toxic. But there's still the matter of nickel, another toxic heavy metal that can contaminate groundwater while in a landfill.

That's where Rayovac's new "Renewal" batteries - the first rechargeable alkalines - come in. These inexpensive batteries eliminate the problem of both nickel and cadmium in landfills. Alkaline batteries are stronger - they last longer and offer more power for bigger things than ni-cads - and the new Renewals hold their charge three times longer than other rechargeables, according to the manufacturer. "Renewals, as do all alkaline batteries, offer a steadier, more consistent power source than ni-cads," say Rayovac's John Daggatt. "That has allowed us to make C- and D-sized rechargeables that can power portable stereos, flashlights and virtually any consumer product. And with no mercury, when a Renewal finally does burn out it can be safely landfilled," he adds. In fact, the state of Minnesota, which prohibits the landfilling of rechargeable batteries, has granted a special exemption for Renewals. "We feel the amount of mercury in Rayovac's product does not pose any significant threat to groundwater," says Charles Williams, commissioner of Minnesota's Pollution Control Agency. But one drawback, says EDF's Denison, is that "Renewals won't work in situations where bursts of energy are needed - as in the flash of a camera. So for now, they won't be replacing ni-cads altogether."

Brave New Batteries

Other industry innovations are in the works as well. Japan's A&T Battery Corporation was recently formed as part of a joint venture between Toshiba and Asahi Chemical Industry to develop lithium ion batteries. Lithium batteries are smaller than other rechargeables, hold their charge longer and can be recharged about 1,000 times. Ni-cads and nickel metal hydrides can be recharged as often, but the lithium batteries are more powerful.

But there is a downside. Lithium batteries don't emit strong enough bursts of energy to run power tools or computer hard drives and, because of lithium's reactivity, they are prone to explode. Not so with the even newer lithium polymer batteries, set to hit the market in mid-1994. These batteries look like sheets of foil, a design which purportedly prevents such reactions from going out of control. And they can be folded, shaped and stuffed into any crevice in the appliance. "They're like no battery that's ever been made," says Takshi shimanda, president of A&T.

Other companies are concentrating on the rechargers themselves. Solar chargers for virtually any type of battery are available through the California-based Real Goods Trading Company for between $14 and $30. You simply pop the battery in and leave it in the sun. "Solar chargers are an interesting development," says EAC's Judith Kornberg. "There are still some bugs to work out. For example, some can take up to five days to charge. But once these problems are ironed out, they could be a real boon."

Dealing With Disposal

No matter what the future of battery design, their disposal has to be addressed. Manufacturers have resisted recycling programs because, they argue, reclaiming mercury from alkaline batteries is too expensive. "Mercury from batteries can't be purified enough to be used again," explains Lisa Silverstone of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, pointing to European programs that cost about $3,000 per ton to reclaim mercury from alkaline batteries.

Several states have begun to look at the problem. New York and neighboring New Jersey have formed a joint task force to address battery disposal. Right now the task force is looking at landfills that are lined with plastic, clay and sand to prevent toxins from leaching. Incineration is out: it releases mercury into the air.

Enter the grassroots movement. Concerned consumers have found that, even though there are no government recycling programs, when batteries are collected in conjunction with a local recycling program, they are at least more likely to end up in a hazardous waste landfill than a regular landfill. A pilot project in Andover, Massachusetts asks consumers to put their button batteries in boxes, which are then picked up by volunteers. At least six other Massachusetts communities have initiated similar programs.

The Atlanta, Georgia-based Portable Rechargeable Battery Association has begun a program in Minnesota to collect battery-powered products headed for the dump, and remove the batteries before scrapping the appliance. And one Vermont project, in conjunction with the Central Vermont public Service Corporation, operates as a drop-off collection point for easily removable rechargeables.

Car batteries represent a special disposal problem. A typical car battery contains about 20 pounds of lead, 11 pounds of sulfuric acid and three pounds of plastic. Americans go through 70 million of these batteries each year. "The combination of corrosive acid and lead means they're just made to leak when landfilled," says Roy Baggett of the Danders Lead Company in Troy, Alabama. The good news is that, with 24 smelters throughout the country designed to reclaim lead for future use, over 90 percent of all car batteries are now being collected and recycled by stores that sell them like Sears. "Some places even make you pay a deposit on a new battery," says Denison. Purchasers of new batteries then get a $5 to $15 discount if they turn the old car battery in. Unfortunately, there's no replacement in sight for car batteries. "Nothing else delivers that kind of power," says Denison.

"Consumers are going to have to pick up the ball," says Marie Steinwachs of the Household Hazardous Waste Project in Springfield, Missouri. "People should use rechargeables where they can but, since even those batteries must eventually be discarded, community-based recycling programs have got to take a bigger role. With so few programs and so many batteries, we can't afford to wait."

Contact: Household Hazardous Waste Project, 1031 East Battlefield, Suite 214, Springfield, MO 65807/[phone]; Progressive Power, P.O. Box 3122, Denver, CO 80201-3122/[phone]; Rayovac Corporation, 601 Rayovac Drive, Madison, Wl 53711-0960/[phone]; Real Goods Trading Corporation, 966 Mazzoni Street, Ukiah, CA 95482-3471/[phone].