To follow up on last weeks post on disposal of lithium ion batteries, I decided to go to Lowes and dispose of my battery correctly and investigate the recycling process further. Apparently the best way to maximize the recycling of lithium and other rechargeable batteries is to toss them at a ‘Recycling center’ like this one located at the Geneva Lowes. It was conveniently located just inside the front doors and was easily found without asking any employees. Just for curiosity sake I took a peek into the collection container to get an idea of its contents. The majority of the batteries were universal sized (AAA, AA, C, 9 volt etc.) Nickel Metal Hydride—NiMH--rechargeable batteries. I only could see one lithium ion battery, which I took as a good sign and a bad sign. On the bad side, this lack of Li ion batteries could mean that people just don’t know that they can be recycled here. However, the fact that there were lots of NiMH batteries in the container suggested that people do know about it. This means that there just aren’t as many Li ion batteries needing to be disposed of. It is my understanding that Li ion batteries can be recharged many more times compared to the older NiMH ones, and thus there are not as many coming out of circulation as a result of failure. By having a longer life span Li ion batteries are greatly reducing the amount of rechargeable batteries needing to be recycled.