Are you one of the millions of people throughout the world who take the environment seriously? Do you recycle? Do you purchase sustainable products? Do you try to limit your personal carbon emissions? To be sure, all of these steps are critical to preserving what is left of our planet’s health and cleaning up the mess that industrialism has created over the past century.

But what about your battery consumption and disposal? Chances are, you and your family use a lot of batteries in a year, given the dearth of gadgets, kids’ toys, and small appliances that all call for AA and AAA batteries. If you’re using Duracells, Energizers, and any other brand of disposable alkaline batteries, I’m sorry to say that you’re still part of the environmental problem and not the solution.

The facts are clear: disposable alkaline batteries are incredibly hazardous to the environment. Although improvements in the purity and consistency of materials used to make alkaline batteries have allowed manufacturers to reduce the mercury content, their mercury levels are still quite harmful and pollutant. And while some countries have prohibited disposing of alkaline batteries in regular domestic trash, the vast majority of people throw their disposable batteries away with the rest of the garbage.

Are you one of these people?

Even if you do make the effort to recycle your old alkaline batteries properly, the materials used to make them are not nearly sustainable and recyclable enough to meet strict environmental standards. Like other industrialized pollutants, disposable batteries present a difficult environmental problem, since so many electronics in our modern world call for AA and AAA batteries to power them.

There is, however, an environmentally friendly alternative to toxic disposable alkaline batteries.

NiMH rechargeable batteries are designed with sustainability in mind, offering a minimal impact on the environment. Nickel, the primary metal component of a rechargeable NiMH battery, is one of the most sustainable metals on the planet: it is abundant in the ground, easily mined, and easily recycled, making it an incredible sustainable material.

Adding to the NiMH battery’s sustainability is its ability to be reused hundreds of times: while earlier NiCaD battery designs were toxic and unreliable, NiMH batteries provide an even, reliable battery charge over a long lifecycle, allowing to use them over and over again, making them the ultimate environmentally-friendly AA and AAA battery choice. Moreover, consumer studies have proven that a fully charged NiMH battery offers the same level of power than a disposable alkaline battery.

If you are truly committed to being a responsible consumer and protecting the environment, then NiMH batteries clearly give you an affordable, sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative that will be easy on the planet.

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