Reduce By Recharging

For today’s Easy Eco Idea I thought I’d go with rechargeable batteries. Having kids means always needing batteries and I bet that even if you don’t have kids you can think of at least 3 things off the top of your head that need batteries.

Rechargeable batteries are great because they last up to 1,000 charges which is a cost savings of hundreds and hundreds of dollars. While the money savings is great just think of how many less batteries you need to buy and therefore need to be made.

Just as important as using rechargeable batteries instead of regular ones is making sure that you dispose of your batteries properly, regular and rechargeable. Here in California batteries are actually considered hazardous waste which means you can get in a lot of trouble if you get caught throwing them away. Luckily recycling them is extremely easy. Many stores take batteries like Radio Shack, Best Buy and Kragen Auto Parts just to name a very few. There are actually many more and they’re very easy to find, just go to earth911 and enter rechargeable batteries and your zip code.

We got our rechargeable NiMH batteries at Costco. The pack came with a charger that fit 4 batteries, AA’s, AAA’s and an adaptor to turn AA’s into D’s. Being that it's Costco when I just now went to look for that set online it wasn't there. However, with rechargeable batteries becoming more and more popular they're also easier and easier to find. So you may be able to find a starter pack like that at your favorite store.

Wherever you buy them I would recommend the NiMH ones because they are supposed to have a better battery life than other rechargeable batteries.

So when it’s time to replace your batteries make the switch to the rechargeable kind, they really do last just as long as the other kind in-between charges and are certainly better for the planet.