4 thoughts on “The Weekend Wonk: Battery Recycling has Already Begun”
There needs to be more attention paid to toxic technological waste. One example is microwave oven magnetrons. They contain toxic beryllium which is not supposed to go into landfills, but that is undoubtedly where they end up. Scrapyards won’t accept them and there’s nowhere to take them.
Entirely agree, can be very difficult to dispose of many common everyday items safely and responsibly. No easy outlets for many toxic items, such as spent fluorescent tubes (for example). Need to search for specialist disposal companies and pay high prices. I think the manufacturers and their retail outlets need to take some responsibility, at least some-one should. Stop making things without a disposable end of life plan for consumers. We’re filling up our lands with poisonous junk.
Modern cities collect household hazardous waste for exactly this reason. Currently city residents in Austin have to make an appointment (pandemic), but I expect them to going back to regular operation in a couple of months. I have years of household hazmat to drop off: jars of dead dry cells, some e-waste (old flat monitor and dead consumer toys), some unneeded paint and a dead microwave.
There needs to be more attention paid to toxic technological waste. One example is microwave oven magnetrons. They contain toxic beryllium which is not supposed to go into landfills, but that is undoubtedly where they end up. Scrapyards won’t accept them and there’s nowhere to take them.
Entirely agree, can be very difficult to dispose of many common everyday items safely and responsibly. No easy outlets for many toxic items, such as spent fluorescent tubes (for example). Need to search for specialist disposal companies and pay high prices. I think the manufacturers and their retail outlets need to take some responsibility, at least some-one should. Stop making things without a disposable end of life plan for consumers. We’re filling up our lands with poisonous junk.
“They’re just an irresponsible way to store very dangerous waste.”
https://www.ecowatch.com/toxic-waste-ponds-climate-change-2651382210.html
Modern cities collect household hazardous waste for exactly this reason. Currently city residents in Austin have to make an appointment (pandemic), but I expect them to going back to regular operation in a couple of months. I have years of household hazmat to drop off: jars of dead dry cells, some e-waste (old flat monitor and dead consumer toys), some unneeded paint and a dead microwave.