By Meshal aljabir
A significant
component of our day-to-day lives are batteries. The problem does not lie with
the batteries but the by-products and materials they are made of can become
quite dangerous to our earth and us. Approximately eight batteries are thrown
out each year per person in the United States alone when thrown out, the metals
and toxins found in the batteries such as cadmium and mercury can seep into
soil and water supplies, and release toxic chemicals into the air when they are
burned in waste combustors. In addition, the landfills, where the batteries get
sent to, produce methane gas, which adds on to the greenhouse effect and
worsens global warming. Some metals that come from batteries are even dangerous
when ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through skin/soil because they are created
of hazardous materials, those chemicals can reach to our plants through their
roots, and end up accumulating in our fruit and grass. There are actions you
can take to help fight this problem. For example, an alternative to landfills
would be recycling used batteries instead of sending them to landfills. This is
a splendid idea because it has many pros from saving natural resources to
generating more income and even reducing imports. This helps solve the problem
because it insures that the toxic components that make up a battery are removed
not released.
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