Just saw this this morning, and it got me thinking: ‘Zombie batteries’ causing hundreds of waste fires, experts warn. I took a look at a couple of devices lying around here for the “don’t throw it in the trash” symbol. Mobile phone: tiny icon, barely visible. Bluetooth speaker: tinier icon, on the inside of a flap sealing access to the charging port. No wonder these things end up in the trash.
So, given that more and more devices have non-removable Li-ion batteries in them, is there anything that product designers can do to reduce the number of these devices that end up getting crushed in garbage trucks and ending up in landfill? I’d always been thinking of battery recycling in terms of discrete battery cells or packs, like for garden or workshop tools, but this seems like a much bigger problem.