One advantage of rechargeable batteries is that they can be recharged and reused hundreds of times and the good ones greatly outperform the everyday leading brand disposable alkaline batteries.

Rechargeable batteries can be used over and over again which produces an incredible saving over their useful life. As an example, we can easily find 4 quality AA rechargeable batteries that come with a smart charger for $30 to $40 US. For such a package deal, each AA rechargeable battery costs $10 US ( includes initial charger cost ). If we recharge these batteries a minimum of 100 times, that means that these rechargeable batteries cost less than 10 cents per use.

Yes, there are factors not accounted for in our cost analysis, but all these factors would only further reduce the total per use cost well below 10 cents per use. Firstly, newer rechargeable batteries can easily provide 30% to 50% more energy than regular alkaline disposable batteries. Secondly, if you buy 4 more rechargeable batteries at $16 US, your per use cost for these additional batteries drops to less than 4 cents per use ( you already have the charger ! ). Thirdly, electricity costs are minimal considering top AA rechargeable batteries deliver 3.5 Watt hours and electricity costs 6 to 10 cents per 1000 Watts per hour. Fourthly, a quality rechargeable battery may not last 1000 uses but will certainly last more than 100 uses.

Another advantage of rechargeable batteries is that they are considered to be more environmentally friendly than the disposable alkaline batteries. There are pros and cons to this argument and the general practices of society and private enterprise are not really based on helping the environment.

Dumping rechargeable batteries into a landfill is absolutely no better than dumping disposable alkaline batteries or any battery for that matter. Environmental friendliness has to account for the entire product life from mining to manufacturing, shipping, use and disposal.

If we were to use product price as a gauge of the product pollution cost ( pollution from manufacturing ), rechargeable batteries cost and therefore produce 4 times the pollution of disposable batteries. The fact that a rechargeable battery can be used hundreds of times means that when they are used, they reduce manufacturing pollution by a factor of  25 ( rechargeable batteries cost 4 times more but are used at least 100 times less = 100/4 = 25 ).

The product pollution cost presented is a view that is too simple as it does not account for the different value of the materials, the technology or the manufacturing energy required. One thing is for sure, for every rechargeable battery you use, 100 or more disposable alkaline batteries are not going to the landfill.

Rechargeable batteries like NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) rechargeable batteries have proven that they can deliver greater performance in our ever demanding digital devices. Combined with the fact that they cost much less on a per use basis than disposable alkaline primary batteries and that less mass ends up in the landfill, leaves only one question.

Why are you not using rechargeable batteries?

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