Because I'm human.

Throw-away laptops and rechargeable flashlights, as examples, are better choices... if you're on point with carbon neutrality and knowing what actually gets recycled by YOU then fix something else.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_recycling
https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

:hatFlyingAtYouEmoji: 🦆

There's also

1. Capacity - Disposable outlives rechargeable considerably
2. Voltage: Disposable=1.5V per cell (9Vfor square batteries); Rechargeable=1.2V/cell (7.2V for square batteries).

Here I figured it had more to do with the same reason auto industry's buyup patents, money? Or how about, how the plastics industry pushed through even though we knew it would clutter*f the environment...

We could go on for years discussing the evolution of batteries and their future, if Humanity gets that long?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/06/s...-alkaline.html

How long ago did we point out that there were only 7.4 trillion people, oh my bad, billion (but) multiplying?!

You're going philosophical on me. When you say something like it's like a red rag to a bull here. But If I answered it, moderators would frown. Send me a PM if you want to go there.

In my opinion, we're not going to get lithium rechargeable batteries like shrunk down, like electric car batteries, because they require rare metals. All the colbalt in the world comes out of one mine in the Congo, and it's a horrible place to work.

Because we would rather spend less and planet be damned than actually do something intelligent? Seems to fit most of humanities decisions these days really. All about the dollar, screw the rest.

You can get 9.6v for square (8-cell rather than 6-cell), although the trade-off is capacity since they have to make the cells individually smaller, you get a SIGNIFICANT reduction in capacity for the significant increase in voltage. I actually use all 9.6v rechargeables, and while they don't last ANYWHERE near as long as an alkaline disposable, they are usable, unlike the 7.2v ones that will delivery insufficient voltage for many high-drain devices.

Also with modern Lithium-based, you can get lithium rechargeables, but I really don't know those chemistries well enough to speak to anything about them, but I THOUGHT I remember reading that the lithium chemistries voltages were MUCH too high for most devices.

I drive less, throw away less. The last PC, tablets etc.. I bought are at least 8 year old. I use an iPhone 5s handled down from my daughter.
But personally I think humanity is hopeless.
Considering just the fuel amount used by big powers' planes & boats, circling around the globe needlessly daily, is staggering.

Is that so? The 6 cell variety was only 100mah, so I dread to think what little your 8 cell variety has.

@jmgibson1981:

@leclerc78: Our idiom there is to point out that someone is urinating against the wind, with attendant consequences. You're right of course. We can do what we like individually, but collectively we are in need of rescue. I'll say no more because I'm sailing close to the wind saying that much.

Those are some cheap-ass batteries. I use Imedion PowerX batteries. 9.6v NiMH @230mah (minimum 210mah)

100maH is sadly all that's about here. Only smoke alarms & Carbon Monoxide alarms (for gas cooking/heating) use them, IIRC. We do have 500maH AA sized battery and a fairly decent variety of AAA sized. People use them exclusively.We don't have Immedion batteries here, and US sellers don't export to Europe as a rule, and face a 25% import (minor items excepted) duty on top of heavy p & p charges if they do.

Even the capacity of disposable 9V batteries is puny.

OH wow, that sucks. Does make it a LOT harder to be green if you can't get decent green items. Yeah, my AA rechargeables (that are starting to die as they're 10 years old) that I have left are all 2000-2500 mah, and I'm actually going to try several lithium ion AA rechargeables (supposedly 1.5v same as alkaline) that are rated for 3000 mWh (I have no idea what the relationship between milliamp hours and milliwatt hours is) and charge via usb cables directly...

1mWh=1mAh*V so that a 1.5V battery rated at 2000mAh can also be rated at 3000mWh - good for advertising purposes.


Edit - corrected misspelling of "mWh".

Good to know, so basically rated to last the same as my NiMH batteries, but claims they're true 1.5v instead of 1.2v. If these are worth anything, I think I've found a new type of battery to default to.

Depends what you're using them for. If you put them into a flashlight the light will be brighter but go less time before needing a recharge because they'll be supplying more current (ie you'll be providing a higher voltage over the same resistance). If you put them into something that's going to draw the same current at 1.5V and at 1.2V then they should last the same.

These will be good for me, I'll finally be able to use rechargeable batteries in one of my model train controllers which insists on having 1.5V from AA batteries.

Off the point, but that could actually be true, if different current levels affect performance.