I Am Sorry Mother Earth

Since I started work in the new company, MP3 player and a book had been a good companion to me, travelling in the MRT for 1hr 15mins.

2 days ago, as I looked up in the MRT, I realised that 40% of the passengers are also having an MP3 for companionship. Then this thought strikes me: with the advancement of technology, we, humans are using more and more energy. Battery in particular, since the beginning of walkman and handphones, and thus the birth of mobile entertainment has become the main source of energy.

Mobile entertainment and phones, once luxury, now have become necessity and norm. Even primary school students own an MP3 or handphone.

Now imagine, how many batteries we discard in a year for mobile entertainment. I couldn't keep count of how many batteries that I had discarded.

This disturbing thought prompted me to find how to safely dispose used batteries. In the search I learnt that the chemicals and toxic from batteries (so many type of batteries, from alkaline to lead batteries for cars) may seep into ground water bodies from the dump sites. The consolation is that batteries makers have a committee and today, batteries are made with almost no mercury, and less harmful substance. Yet, we are still polluting.

Other than that, I could hardly find any info on how to properly and safely dispose of used battery after an hour or so...The best 2 website I could find are:
1. There's a hobby club that have a forum and discuses many way to reuse used batteries, modifying laptop batteries to be used on toys, etc. Interesting reading but I do not recommend it because modifying the batteries may cause harm like poisoning yourself or spoil your electronic equipment.
2. There's a blog started by a teacher also voiced her concern about disposing used batteries. In this blog, there's a comment left by someone stating that certain NOKIA centers in Singapore (I remember there's one in Causeway Point, Woodlands) do collect back spoilt handphone batteries and other batteries. Thank you NOKIA!!!

That's about all the info I can find on disposing used batteries. Unsatisfied, I found the website of a renowned battery maker. I e-mailed them if they have a collection point for old batteries and the reply is that they do not have collection points because the pollution level is not classified as danger thus not required by NEA in Singapore to provide a collection point (sounds like a justification to me!)

So, does anyone have any suggestion or know something on how to dispose used batteries safely? Please kindly share..