Question

Raju’s father has a mobile phone whose battery needs to be replaced. The most environment friendly and sustainable way of disposing of the old battery is

• A. to incinerate it
• B. bury it in landfills
• C. burn it in an open dump
• D. recycle it

Answer 1

The correct option is D recycle it

Discarded batteries are considered as e-wastes or electronic wastes. These wastes are hazardous wastes as they contain toxic chemicals such as cadmium, mercury, etc. which can be potentially harmful for human health and the environment.

Batteries can be recycled to extract metals or other parts which can be used in the production of new electronic items. This is the most sustainable and environment friendly way of disposing e-wastes. Recycling needs to be done in proper facilities so that humans do not have any risks of being exposed to the toxic chemicals present in them.

Incineration refers to burning the wastes in enclosed incinerators at very high temperatures. This often leads to heavy air pollution due to the released smoke. Burying the battery in a sanitary landfill would pollute the soil with toxic chemicals which are released from the battery.