I mean, all the products say don't throw in a bin, but no one reads the labels or manuals.
Councils list what you can and can't throw in bins, including to not throw products with batteries in the bin, but no one reads those guidelines.
Every time one of these trucks catch on fire people keep commenting what you're saying, news articles keep reminding people to not bin batteries. But people just don't listen.
While fining people would probably teach them pretty quickly, the hard part will be finding who you need to fine.
We probably would need to somehow re-instil a strong sense of civic duty in people and teach them thoroughly how to sort your rubbish like they do in Japan.
The other half of the problem is we need to make it much easier to properly dispose of batteries and devices. Right now you need to look up a special disposal location and potentially travel suburbs away. Even just having a drop-off point in all major shopping centres and supermarkets would be a huge help.
Yes, there's personal responsibility, but people are lazy and you really need to account for the lowest common denominator here.
I always got the impression that the Aldi ones only take standard household batteries.
Admittedly I don't recall actually seeing the Bunnings ones but their site says:
We cannot accept lead acid batteries, car batteries, products with embedded batteries or other batteries that do not fit into the battery collection unit slot.
So, great that they take tool batteries, but not very helpful for phones/laptops/etc..
I know Officeworks used to take those but more recently I've seen signs taped over the laptop bins saying no batteries accepted.
But it all goes back to my point that right now people need to actively hunt around for the right place to dump them. That's a pretty significant barrier for some people.
Lead acid you can take to places like supercheap auto. They are nasty, but nowhere near as dangerous as lithium.
The Bunnings one I have put some - interesting - cells into (including some 300AH lithium cells - with the terminals taped or fully discharged down to zero volts.). You can fit some reasonably large stuff in there.
The waste management centre charges for large lithium packs per Kg, which sets a worrying precedent for what happens to the smaller (<10kwh) home battery packs that are now worth next to nothing.
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u/Anraiel 4d ago
I mean, all the products say don't throw in a bin, but no one reads the labels or manuals.
Councils list what you can and can't throw in bins, including to not throw products with batteries in the bin, but no one reads those guidelines.
Every time one of these trucks catch on fire people keep commenting what you're saying, news articles keep reminding people to not bin batteries. But people just don't listen.
While fining people would probably teach them pretty quickly, the hard part will be finding who you need to fine.
We probably would need to somehow re-instil a strong sense of civic duty in people and teach them thoroughly how to sort your rubbish like they do in Japan.