Repsol YPF

The long-term saving and comfort offered by using batteries has been called into question due to the significant amount of energy that these portable devices need with their high consumption and prolonged use. Rechargeable batteries last three times longer than alkaline batteries in devices which consume a lot of energy. As such, rechargeable and reusable batteries are a good financial and environmental choice. The technology they use respects the environment. However, batteries contain chemical components which generate their energy. They are heavy metals and chemical substances which have corrosive, reactive, explosive, toxic and inflammable properties.

Appropriate environmental management of batteries starts when you choose them, a product which, like many others, after a longer or shorter useful life, will end up turning into waste. As such, the moment when you choose them is fundamental, as it is with storage batteries and batteries.

Firstly, it is recommended that you use electrical devices which are connected to the mains in order to avoid using batteries. But if using them is inevitable, it is good to buy rechargeable batteries. The advantages include long-term savings and caring for the environment, because there is obviously a significant reduction in the volume of waste. The only disadvantage is the initial outlay that must be incurred.

Quality

An important issue is that, where rechargeable batteries are concerned, the product must be good quality. It is not unusual to encounter tempting offers. However, how can we know whether they are suitable? 

To start with, a cheap battery will have a shorter useful life than a more expensive, better quality one. In addition to this there is the common issue of whether they have been manufactured using a more damaging process consequently producing batteries which are more harmful to the environment. 

Newer production technology is cleaner, if more complex and expensive. For this reason, from an environmental point of view it is preferable to buy batteries made by well-known brands, from developed countries, where the regulations and production process control are presumably stricter. 

There are two common types of batteries, AA and AAA. They can both be NiCd (Nickel-Cadmium) or NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride, also known as environmentally-friendly). Some numbers usually accompany the battery type description indicating the charge capacity (mAh, which stands for milli Amp hours). The greater the charge capacity, the longer the battery will last before it needs charging again.

These numbers will be higher in AA batteries than in AAA batteries, due to the simple issue of size. The maximum capacities are between 2300 and 2800 mAh for AA batteries, and 800 and 1000 mAh for AAA batteries.

Less pollution

In order to be absolutely sure that pollutant elements such as mercury will not be released during the rechargeable battery production or recycling processes, it is advisable to buy those with a "Mercury Free (Hg)" label or similar.