Due to the high demands of batteries in daily life, people always purchase batteries in bulk and leave many of them unused. A battery’s general shelf life is up to several years, which allows people to store for a long time. But in some cases, batteries, after a long time in storage, do not function well, or they are damaged without a well-known reason. You may wonder why the expiration date for your current dead battery is not set to expire yet. Why does this occur? Perhaps, the issues in the way you store these batteries? We have several tips for you regarding battery storage and care for Eunicell’s alkaline batteries and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
How to Store Batteries
One common misconception that people have with batteries is that the cooler they are the more energy they will save and that leads people to put batteries into a refrigerator or even a freezer to maintain their performance. While the idea of dark and cool is correct, keeping them in a freezer or fridge does not. For Eunicell’s batteries, they will “live” a better life when they are stored in a dry (little to no moisture), cool (not cold or chill), and dark (no direct sunlight).
Another thing to keep in mind is that a battery’s external casing should be taken care of. DO NOT tear off the original packings and remain them sealed if possible. Once the original packing is gone, please put them into a plastic container for storage. Separate the batteries according to the types and ages, and never mix used batteries with new ones as you may confuse which one is new and which one is old. Always keep the electrodes in the same direction and avoid the opposing ends to touch one another. Keep them away from any metal as contact with any metal will cause a short-circuit and produce leakage problems.
Most importantly, keep the batteries far away from fire and out of reach of the children (especially for button cells).
Proper Care for Primary Cell Batteries
For disposable primary batteries, proper storage will be enough to maintain their performance as if they were new. Eunicell’s alkaline batteries can be stored for up to 5 years if properly handled. For batteries being used, we recommend removing them from electronic devices not commonly used. This prevents the batteries from leaking inside the device and damaging the electronic device inside. Please never charge a non-rechargeable battery!
How to Dispose of or Recycle Primary Cell Batteries
Each household disposes of tens or hundreds of primary batteries in a way that may threaten our environment. In Canada alone, 745 million batteries are disposed of every year and only 5% are disposed of properly. Most of the disposable/primary cell batteries produced after 1996 are free of hazardous heavy metals due to international regulations. For example, EUNICELL alkaline batteries are free of lead, mercury, and cadmium since 1995. Single-use batteries of this type can be placed in the trash with other household waste. For older battery types we recommend looking up your local county or city regulations and see if they need special treatment in disposing of.
How to Dispose of or Recycle Rechargeable Batteries
For rechargeable batteries, proper disposal is also necessary. You can gather and classify different types of batteries to dispose of them according to their components. All types of rechargeable batteries require them to be dropped off at your local recycling depot to be properly disposed of. Look up your waste regulations, check on the local government or Earth 911 website for battery disposal guidelines and drop-off locations in your area.