The Native Iowan

Over the last couple days I have been inundated by failing, old, no longer serviceable battery powered hand tools. In my farm’s tool shop I have three lead cell batteries that have decided to no longer “take a charge”. I have a drawer in the kitchen full of various, unsorted batteries varying in size from “D”, to “AAA”. My family tends to drop the used batteries in the drawer when they go get a new one, thus there is little ability to tell usable from rooted battery-in-the-drawer. I have a high lumens rechargeable light in my office, on my desk. It’s three years old, is branded as “EverLast”, cost a bomb, and does not hold a charge at all. My beloved Segway needs to go in and get new batteries and a charging unit. As I speak I have no less than twelve motor vehicles (mostly vintage/ collectable cars and bikes) plugged into a charger. There are no less than twelve batteries on charge for my “power tools”. I have a couple old phones hanging around, that still work, but have zero battery life. On charge, in my house rights now, we have two lap tops, two pads, three phones, and Gracie’s headphones, all on charge.

I believe that this is the Green Tech we have been hearing about. The idea that we can live a better life without nasty coal or diesel fired power plants.

I am beginning to see “charging stations” pop up in my vicinity. At the supermarket, at roadside service centres, In front of my favourite fishmonger… I didn’t take note and parked in the charging spot and got frowned at by a rather modern looking mother.

I am doing some research about disposing of my said dead, toxic sources of green energy.

Noting that I have not gone too deeply into this, I find that:

“Batteries are hazardous items which should be disposed of appropriately at a major Waste Facility or participating battery recycling retailer. To prevent fire and safety hazards, never place batteries in wheelie bins or with mixed household waste. Fires have been started by batteries inside bin collection trucks.”

So, I’ll see if Kmart will take my old batteries, and if Tools Direct will come get my old power tools. I am of the mind to pull the lead out of my bigger batteries. Simply because lead is cool to melt.

So, in this new Green world, when I go into Tools Direct and replace my dead Bosch drill-driver and its two batteries and charger, I’ll ask for something Greener. Something that maybe lasts 5 years before failing.

I hear the noise…. Your batter powered tools will last more than 5 years… you bet, sure thing, IF, that is, you dont use them much. I use mine a lot, and very hard. A number of drills, drivers, impact tools, grinders, saws, et al, hang in my tool room. And I use them all hard. Very hard.

I failed to list the rechargeable backpack sprayer, and a 72v rechargeable ride on mower I recently bought.

I feel good about “goin green”. And I’m not talking about the Packers…

But what about the waste?

I have 15kva of solar on the roof in Pwoods. I have a Tesla battery that allows me to claim that I produce 75% of my own domestic power needs. Which is cool. But at what cost?

This tells us its all safe and good, but not how the waste is managed: https://www.tesla.com/en_AU/support/sustainability-recycling

A quick check and we get this in regards to Tesla car batteries…
“Any battery that is no longer meeting a customer’s needs can be serviced by Tesla at one of our service centers around the world. None of our scrapped lithium-ion batteries go to landfilling, and 100% are recycled.”

The blurb on recycling is good, but why am I a doubting Thomas? Maybe because I have heard this line before? Maybe because I doubt the words I read. Maybe because I have been involved in recycling batteries before.

I feel good when I read that numerous battery recycling centres across the land will accept you batteries free from charge. Word is they “recycle” the batteries but…. BUT! In a land where transport and manpower is so costly. In a land where regulations are constantly subverted or ignored.

Well, call me a doubting Thomas on this topic.

Here in QLD life is good. Weather is good. The little bastard calf I saved from certain death smiles at me when I walk near him. His mamma shakes her head a snorts me a warning. She remembers the tug of war we had.

big smiles

More later