Recycle your batteries!!

[battplus]

This is a sad sight, batteries dumped from a light house onto the reefs. The lead and acid would cause all sorts of pollution hazards. RECYCLE YOUR BATTERIES! You can contact RBRC on-line for the nearest center to you. Keep them out of landfills and the reefs!

[DensityMan]

Guess I'll be the first to 'bite,' where is that picture from?

It is a sad sight regardless...

[The Lance]

Wow, I have heard of man made reefs, but they should stick to ships on that one. It does however remind me of a place in southeast Kansas that has a multitude of appliances dumped into a ditch right off the road.

[battplus]

Here's the website-

http://www.mpm.edu/reef/future.html


Lots of good info. on future protection.

[DgenR8]

That is sad indeed :(

[edsreef]

Unbelievable and sad. Don't some people ever stop and think????? :(

[Tyr-Sog]

And people wonder why whales beach themselfs.

[Scuba_Dave]

Sort of like people that changed the oil in their car, then dumped the used oil out in the back of their house...to seep into the ground...and groundwater....and then into the drinking water.

[krobb]

some people just have no common sense

[Trumpet12]

It was really stupid to put those batteries in the ocean.

[friedenmeister]

that's bioterrorism for ya

[M.Dandaneau]

The truly sad part is, from the appearance of that photo, they were likely hauled out and dumped off barges by a liscensed waste company, still quite common in the waters around larger cities like NY and LA.

Mike

[friedenmeister]

yeah, have you ever seen the ships full of garbage that are being taken out to sea. it is really common. they go out and dump the garbage in the water.

[windycityblues]

Try an aircraft carrier with 3000 people on it for a 5 month cruise going in circles around the Persian Gulf. Sooner or later I'd a thought we'd beach ourselves on our own crap. Truly a sad site. A million dollars a day to run one of these and they can't come up with something better. They process plastics everything else........well you get the picture.

[M.Dandaneau]

The sad fact is that no matter how many well meaning groups and individuals point out what is going on, most people, if they care at all, feel a mild sense of irritation and then return to their everyday life and concerns.

In large urban areas, land is worth money, while waters outside (and sometimes inside) the 12 mile limit simply aren't their problem, and nothing will ever change unless the word "Sea" becomes the word "$ea".

Americans point fingers at the Africans and S. Americans and proclaim "save the rainforest", while our current administration just opened up logging of our National forests and our only pristine rainforest (Wash. State and Oregon) are still being utilized for lumber as the "people there know no other way of life".

Apparently they are too stupid to be retrainable or the government won't cough up the fees for any one of thousands of "learn at home" courses that flood the airwaves, in which case, maybe it's THEY who deserve to become extinct (probably half of their food comes from poaching wildlife anyways, an acceptable practice in MANY remote rural areas.)

Mike:cool:

[JSB5776]

Americans point fingers at the Africans and S. Americans and proclaim "save the rainforest", while our current administration just opened up logging of our National forests and our only pristine rainforest (Wash. State and Oregon) are still being utilized for lumber as the "people there know no other way of life".

And here you are pointing fingers that its our governments fault for logging in our national forests... You built your house out of wood that came from someone's local forest... and you use paper everyday??? How come you have a right to use timber products and others don't??? Pretty much the same as yelling at the Latin Americans cutting down a rainforest for subsitance farming... Its not our governments fault... Its the consumers fault... Stop buying wood and paper... and the logging industry will come to a hault... Its not our governments job to reducate loggers, into another buisiness that probably isn't as profitable... What will that solve??? Only that new loggers will take their place, as long as there is a demand for timber products...

Supply and demand is the only driving force in this industry as well as the world... Untill we builld houses out of 100% synthetic materials, and stop using paper products... Trees will always get cut down... Fortunately, with the exception of old growth, they grow back...

Lets accept the fact that we are going to use this planet and degrade it... The more people, the more this planet will suffer... We can only make informed decisions, and with the help of new technologies, slow the overall degredation of the global ecosystem...

Stop blaming the government for our own conscious decisions, the consumer is the one who ultimately destroys this environment, Not George Bush

[M.Dandaneau]

Ouchie......someone touched a nerve, eh?

Sadly, I have to pretty well agree with almost everything you said, even though you appear to have missed my point about the forests, but perhaps that was just my poor way of attempting to make a point, that being that in actuality it's easier to forgive 3rd world countries for subsistence survival than the one with the highest standard of living in the world that HAS developed a renewable timber industry (among many others) and yet insists on condemning those who, literally, know no better.

Since you seem vehement on making your argument personal, my home is cinder block....here in Florida, we have a primitive organism that has no respect for wood, no matter where it originated:D .

While "trees" can be regrown, the other biodiversity within pristine forests, like those in coral reefs often cannot, at least not in the span of human history, let alone a generation.

Mike

[Ryan]

Originally posted by JSB5776
Stop blaming the government for our own conscious decisions, the consumer is the one who ultimately destroys this environment, Not George Bush

The consumer is powerful, but haven't you ever heard of corporate welfare? The government DOES have a huge hand in the availability of "eco-friendly" products.
Just ask anyone running a mom and pop business when Wal-mart was PAID BY THE US GOVT to open up, and then paid AGAIN to undercut all the competition.
We're the ones losing- The freedom of the consumer is only as good as his options to consume.

[M.Dandaneau]

I'd like to agree with you aquaholic420, but sadly most who have the option of eco-friendly versus eco-destructive often choose the latter.

What's the #1 LR choice for both reefers and FOWLR tanks both?

Is it Florida Aquacultured LR that places no strain on the planet in any way, shape or form, or is it Fiji or Tonga?

As to the Government, I don't place much blame on Mr. Bush, but rather instead on Mr. Cheney and Mr. Rumsfelt, the puppeteers who make his arms and mouth work. :D

In this last term, more has been done to undermine the ecological programs initiated by the US Govt. than any other in my memory, possibly in history, or at least since the inception of the US Army Corps. of Engineers.

Mike

[Shablin]

Aside from the world geopolitics, where is this? Who owns the lighthouse and when were these dumped? What kind of batteries? They look old. I would think it would be possible for someone to start a fund and find a salvager to reclaim these. I'm sure he'd make no money, but the batteries may have some value, depending on the type (lead?), depth and location.

[battplus]

I found this picture on a reef recovery site, I'm sure they took the liberty to clean up this mess if they had time to photograph it.
For money purposes, they are worth about 0.14 cents a pound!
For batteries at about 80lbs, this probably would not be worth salvage, it's a shame, the people who left them there would have known that nobody would want to claim them.:mad:

[JSB5776]

Just ask anyone running a mom and pop business when Wal-mart was PAID BY THE US GOVT to open up, and then paid AGAIN to undercut all the competition.


Ok there Aquaholic.... Please explain to me how a mom and pop store is more ecofriendly then Walmart??? This ought to be good...

Now look I'm not a fan of walmarts... especially how they instruct their employees on how to recieve food stamps instead of paying them enough money so they don't have to...

But I would really like to here your reasonings behind this....

And like Mike said... How many of you out there buy Tonga "Live" rock??? The worst part is... Its ****** rock that sits DRY for days and virtually has no life on it when you get it... Hence you need to cure it for four weeks... But yet the majority of people on this website feel its appropriate to destroy the native ecosystem of a far away land so they can be amused in their living room... Do you actually belive that the natives removing this rock from the ocean are careful not to remove the one with live coral on them... SUUUUURRRRRE... they will grab anything they can get their hands on... Lets be honest they are too ignorant to comprehend sustainabilty... but only trying to feed their families... and I cant blame them for that... But I can blame anyone on this web site who buys the stuff, becuase they know better...

But I'm sure there are people out there who will drive their SUV's, run their air conditioners all summer, but yet find some way to tell me that George W. Bush and the rest of the republican party is destroying this earth by drilling for oil in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge... While you all ***** at the current Gas prices... And when the reefs in FIJI are all gone... that will be Bush's fault too...

Bush is not perfect, and not the best environmentalist... but look at the ALTERNATIVES!!!???!!! Hmmmmm a lapse on the environment... or Homeland Security??? Yeah lets trust Kerry to to keeping us safe..

I for one have 110#'s of AQUACULTURED TAMPA BAY SALTWATER ROCK that arrived with LIVE coral, has never been dry for more then a few minutes, cycled in 10 days... and actually improved the tampa bay ecosystem by its production...

Save the Natural Reefs which are IRREPLACEABLE in the relative future and support www.TBsaltwater.com

Please Aquaholic cry to me some more how Big Buisiness is the great evil... Look we live in a society based on Capitalism... if you don't like it... I hear Tibet is nice this time of year....


Jeff Bartkowski
bartkj@rpi.edu

Reef Central uses profanity filters for a reason. Please do not attempt to "fool" them by using symbols in place of letters, and keep in mind that this is a family friendly community. You can get your point across just fine without profane language.
Dgen

[DgenR8]

I notice this thread taking a decidedly political turn. If it continues on that course, it will be closed.

[shan820]

Responsible reefkeeping IS political. Youre either responsible or youre not. A reflection of your own personal views. IMO

[JSB5776]

Sorry Dgen... you're right you don't need to use profanity to get your point across, and will always sound more intelligent when you don't... won't happen again...

I just get enraged when it's so blatent that someones hatred for a person or political party actually makes decisions for them and stuctures their views rather then what is in my opinion common sense...

But as far as closing a thread because it takes a political view, I don't neccesarilly agree with that... after all if theres any place on reef central where people can discuss (argue) their views of environmental laws brought forth from one side of the political spectrum or the other... It should be in this forum...

But one of the main reasons I wrote back to this thread is because I was really curious of Mr. 420's (remeber this is a family atmosphere... oh wait I bet April 20th is his birthday... sorry...) statement of how Walmart is more detrimental to the ecosystem then mom and pop stores??? Afterall, I consider Walmart to be highly comparable to the Mass Transit system. Smaller #'s of larger stores, but I bet the square footage of all the Walmarts is less then all of the mom and pop stores nation wide... Walmarts are definitely more energy efficient with newer, improved technology HVAC and lighting... Not that they neccesarrily care about the environment, but after all companies are greedy and energy is expensive... And the consumer can go to ONE store for Food, Housewares, Hardware, Sporting Goods, and heck even Firearms... To me thats more benneficial to the ecosystem then driving my car to 5 different places... But hey thats just my opinion not rulled by hatred of a political party and hipocritical views of Big Buisiness... How many mom and pop "Mobile Phone Operations" companies are out there anyway??? With all those cell fones being made proudly here in the United States of course Creating Jobs for all the ones that George W lost??? Right??? AHHHH sorry cheap shot... I guess we should get back to Reef Keeping... I have a water change to due....


Unless someone wants to tell me of the conspiracy by the republicans and oil companies about a push for more mass transit and diesel powered busses because its more profitable to produce than gasoline??? I can almost hear it now =)

Ok sorry back to that water change...

Jeff Bartkowski
bartkj@rpi.edu

[M.Dandaneau]

As a general rule, politics are pretty ambiguous when it comes to the environment.....both parties claim to have the "interests of the planet" at heart, but when they start proposing clear cutting of national forests, drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico (spelled too darned close this time......they've already screwed up the Everglades, probably beyond repair, a major nursery area for most of the Gulf's fish species, plus all the water diverted for the sugar industry is playing a major part in our red tide epidemics, something one has to see or smell to truly appreciate) I do tend to bet a bit testy.

Politics is politics and BOTH sides are out for the major benefactors and appropriate industries, no matter how much they claim to support the common man, and complaining doesn't mean I'm not fully cognizent of how much better it is hee than most other locale in the world.....anyone who has been to a 3rd world country and doesn't realize how good we really have it is beyond hope.

Mike

[J-birdj]

Looks like the Great Battery Reef.

[Pescado guy]

I think that recycling is always good. It helps keep our planet healthy, and saves the pescados! (that means fish in Spanish) Thanks batplus for your encouraging words!

[battplus]

My pleasure, battplus if you all have'nt figured it out stands for Batteries Plus, we are a small francise LLC that specializes in all kinds of batteries and the recycling programs for them.
www.rbrc.com is the website for more recycling programs in your area. If we take care of batteries properly, we can save landfills and other choice disposal areas from toxins released. Every little clean up effort brings us closer to success, better corals for the wild, and leaves some for our hobby too!

Mike Hoekstra
Batteries Plus

[Trumpet12]

Mike,

Your business's website looks great. It looks like it does make a difference.

[flake]

glad to see that someone is doing somthing about it instead of just talking a good game

[kayl]

keep up the work mike!

[Asbury030]

That is so messed up people would do that.

[Vincerama2]

Aside from being unsightly and the fact that it probably killled a lot of stuff already. What are the actual environmental impact of THIS particular case?

I'm guessing that battery acid is sulfuric acid? It probably didn't have that big an impact (I'm sure volcanoes belch it out at orders of magniture more volume).

Lead. What happens to the lead in the water? If the dumpers were smart (obviously they aren't!) they would have salvaged the lead and sold it. (Hey, people who hand load pistol cartridges as a hobby often scrounge for lead. If the dumpers had offered cheap lead, I think shooters would flock to do the work of removing it).

Plastic. A mess that will stay around forever but biologically inert.

I am, of course, in NO WAY saying that this kind of behaviour is acceptable by any stretch of the imagination. It's human garbage and we shouldn't just hide it away like it doesn't exist. All that stuff is recylable (I think). Could it be that when we bring our old batteries to the autostore or recycling centre...this is what happens to it?

Just wait until eco-friendly electric cars and hybrids become more popular. Will that mean even more battery dumping?

V

[fishylongstocking]

Wow I was having a good day tll I read this. What a downer man!! You know the real problem with the environement and the world, is exactly what is taking place here. People are too divided on what needs to be done, some are in disbelief that anything really needs to be done, and yet others are just ignorant and CHOOSE to remain that way.

I tell ya if ever there was a god, now would be a good time for him to step in! It just seems man cannot direct his own footsteps does it? It just gets worse.

Makes me wanna kill myself :(

[DensityMan]

Take. Your. Meds.

Please... ;)

[Vincerama2]

If you kill yourself, please don't leave your body in the ocean!

A note on PHYSICAL sea junk...the ocean is full of ships and planes and other crap. The beauty of the ocean is that physical things, as we know will soon become habitats for good living things. (Chemical and biological refuse is a much different issue).

I'm not condoning ocean dumping, but I know that ships are often sunk to make reefs. I've done some wreck diving and I know that stuff takes a liking to physcal structures (I've seen the metal frame of the "bomber" from the filming of "Thunderball" and the cessna from "Jaws 3" and they are fully encrusted with coral and life all around it.

Maybe it's propaganda, but I remember seeing a display either in the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans, or else Monterey Bay Aquarium where they showed how the presense of an oil rig actually encourages life to flourish in some really bleak areas (Heck we ALL know how life just finds a handhold on anything in our tanks! My pumps, returns, overflows, etc are coated with life)

Batteries is something very different and completely irresponsible (hey, ships sink, planes crash, oil rigs are built with environmental impact studies done first). I find it horrible that some company would do this. I think massive fines need to be imposed...but then again, that is hard to enforce.

I don't know if anyone remembers but years ago Canada imposed a moratorium (sp?) on cod fishing of the Maritime coast (ie; east coast). So Canadian fishermen lost their jobs. That didn't stop the Europeans from fishing there though. As a matter of fact the Canadian Coast Guard had to patrol the 200 miles "international waters border" to keep foreign fishermen out. But those fishermen would fish at exactly 200 miles and one foot...

Who knows who dumped those batteries. Maybe they were even dumped by a company that we all brought our used batteries to for recyling? How do we know the stuff we put in the blue boxes are even recycled?

Man, this IS a downer. The best thing that WE can do is to do what we can locally. Bring cloth shopping bags to the store, buy things in bulk to reduce packaging, recycle everything, etc.

Are we hypocrites though? I know my tank lights eat up quite a bit of electricity! I even use to pay more to use "Green Mountain Electric" because they claimed to dump renewable energy into the powergrid on my behalf...until the whole California energy crisis forced them out of the state.

We do it to ourselves. This thread is depressing because it just shows how powerless we are and how just a few bad eggs can really screw things up.

V

PS. don't kill yourself unless we can recycle your body. I have a can of fava beans and a nice chianti waiting ... ;)

[fishylongstocking]

DensityMan I like your signature! Had me cracking up!

[jokermgp]

Just as an FYI...you can take your old batteries, of any kind, to a Verizon Wireless store and drop them into a recyling bucket there.

Cheers...Michael :beer:

[gregb]

Is that why whales fart so much.

[thesmith]

'Responsible Reefkeeping' threads should be randomly injected into every set of search results.

(I became so engrossed in this discussion that I'll have to hit my 'back' button to figure out what I was searching for...)

[crushtcoral]

def. political

[NanoCube-boy]

WOW that's sucks how batteries kill the sea... Where can I recycyle AA, AAA batteries?

[DgenR8]

Originally posted by NanoCube-boy
WOW that's sucks how batteries kill the sea... Where can I recycyle AA, AAA batteries?

4 posts before you.......

Originally posted by jokermgp
Just as an FYI...you can take your old batteries, of any kind, to a Verizon Wireless store and drop them into a recyling bucket there.

Cheers...Michael :beer:

[battplus]

Or you can go to any local Batteries Plus to recycle.:D

[waterdog1]

wow i didnt know that! I am doing that from now on. They get pleanty of my money, they can recycle my batteries


Originally posted by jokermgp
Just as an FYI...you can take your old batteries, of any kind, to a Verizon Wireless store and drop them into a recyling bucket there.

Cheers...Michael :beer:

[NanoCube-boy]

Ypu have to pay?

[jazznreef]

i think its free

[jokermgp]

Yes - its a free service that Verizon Wireless offers. Pretty sweet, huh? A socially responsible corporation. I'm really proud to be a VZW employee!

Cheers...Michael :beer:

[gio17vani]

hmm I was thinking of changing phone companies and now I'll feel a little better knowing that the one robbing me is actually doing something I really believe in.

[footclanskates]

That is jut unbelievable.

[Mr.Maska]

we'll i went to the link and seen the batteries... which is awefull sad....
id hate to vent and slip off the subject but man uses millions of years theory, and if u start with a falible theory you'll end with falible science. hope they get whoever put those batteries there!!

[battplus]

Great response since my first post of this topic! I now am starting work in the local law enforcement, just moved from Michigan to Nevada in August and I have to say the response with my previous job at Batteries Plus was excellent. I am still active in saving the reefs a little at a time, and also now saving lives too! Thank you to everyone and especially reef central for keeping this post alive at the top!

Mike

[tkeracer619]

I have wanted to say somthin about recycling batteries. I was cleaning this tank last night i got along with my 150 and along with a few legos in the gravel was a crusty AA Duracell. No wonder they got rid of the fishtanks. I bet there kids dumped all kinds of crap in there and killed everything. LOL of all things. Fits directly to the topic in our world. Watch your kids and what they throw in there when your not looking.

[NanoCube-boy]

Best buy carrried bins now for recycle batteries.

[Pilot Fish]

Its not just batteries. EVERY item that you buy has packaging that ends up being disposed of into the environment. I know that we need the packaging to protect the goods that we buy but we need to start being extra detemined to recycle these reusable goods. THE WELFARE OF THE ENVIONMENT AS WELL AS OUR HOBBY ARE AT STAKE.

I personally started by bringing my own bucket or cooler to the LFS when I buy an animal. No need to waste a bag that doesn't hold the water temperature well anyway. AND give your LFS a hard time about recycling the cardboard and styrofoam that they receive their shipments in.

[edrock200]

maybe I'm missing something but I don't see any pic.

[DensityMan]

Three years ago there was a picture. ;)

The internet changes...

The picture showed a massive undersea dumping area for batteries.

[edrock200]

hehe I didn't even look at the original post date. Anyone have a snapshot of the original pic?

[NanoCube-boy]

I heard throwing batteries away without proper recycling is illegal now in California.

[tkeracer619]

I second that can we get the picture back. Someone must have it or know were to find it.

[NanoCube-boy]

I'm trying to convince a few people in the family to throw batteries properly, but they refuse to do. I can only tell them, but can't force them. Does anyone know where i can get some pictures of batteries damaging our reef? Maybe that can change their mind.

[birdfish]

I would like to correct some mis-information posted in this thread.

It was said by Vincerama2:
Plastic. A mess that will stay around forever but biologically inert.

To which I must respond:
Yes plastic can be called "inert".

It however can NOT be called biologically inert. Audubon Magazineand other journals have in the last few years published material regarding plastic plankton. Unfortunatley due to a recent move I cannot provide citations as that material is still boxed, but I would think maybe googling Plastic and plankton something should come up.

There is scientific research ongoing about the problem.
What happens is the platic breaks down to a certain point at
which it essetnially becomes plankton. Animals that feed on
plankton (from whales to birds to krill) are starving to death in certains areas in the middle of the Pacific where due to constant illegal dumping and currents it is concentrated to a point plankton feeders respond (eat it) to the mass of colors. The photos I saw
were astounding. Beautiful, but deadly.

In some areas the plankton being fed on was up to 90% PLASTIC!
A ton of plankton was only 10% edible digestable food. A ton of
plankton in a tow (net) was 200 lbs. organic matter, and 1800 lbs. of plastic. Wonder why stuff was starving? I can hardly call that biologically inert.

birdfish

[Vincerama2]

Wow, I never imagined that! I thought plastic and rock would basically just grind down into sand. That's brutal, but it makes sense.

V

[NanoCube-boy]

Plastic is dangerous for the Sea... The only way to brake them down is to melt them and that's it. It form back to solid... Plastic are only good for reuse.

[wds21921]

That's the same as teflon too. When I worked for W. L. Gore and Assoc. Inc. they had the U of D (University of Delaware) do a composite breakdown study.
What they found was bothersome to say the least.

Teflon reverts back to a powder form over time and then continues to leech and absorb potassium out of the ground. This much needed potassium by plants and animals basically continues to disapear over time. Even when irradiated the results where the same.

Like plastic, the elements revert back to there original form (powder) but that seems to be where the process stops :(.

[NanoCube-boy]

Hey, does anyone know where i can get pictures of the Reef was damage by batteries? I been trying to look for photos for a long while.

[marcsmith73]

Good stuff

[NanoCube-boy]

I guess no one has any pics... or know it.. Thanks anyway.

[xtm]

http://www.mpm.edu/collections/learn/reef/batteries.jpg

Reef destruction is somewhat hard to reverse once the damage is done.. it takes a second to destroy reefs but years to regrow it.

The human race is an unappreciative bunch. We are given this beautiful habitat and we destroy it...

[xtm]

http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk/images/reef_rehab.jpg

http://www.uga.edu/cuda/images/PRdynamite72.jpg

[NanoCube-boy]

Thanks for the photos, I'm planning to show my family members why it's so important to recycle batteries. They don't seem to understand me right now and I'm going to show them these pictures.

I can't understand why they do that. It's like throwing batteries and leave inside your home. Sometimes I think people are stupid to destroy such nature that god created for us. So stupidity, I can't image why they do such horrible act like this.

[ambrose]

Aye, it's pretty much over for us, ain't it?

[sohchx]

I take mine to radio shack recycling FTW!!

[NanoCube-boy]

I heard those guys only accept certain amount, and kinds of batteries.

[battplus]

go to:

www.rbrc.com

This site will provide you with local drop sites. :D

[roblack]

All of this really ****es me off. Just left the beach and there's plastic bags in the water, on the beach, and all over the rocks, mixed with beer cans and other crap. While I get upset with the local homeless and fishermen on the beach, the problem is much bigger than the local threat. So I pull the trash that I can out of the ocean all the while realizing that it probably doesn't matter much. Maybe I help out a sea turtle or 2, who knows? Happy to recycle some batteries!

[roblack]

Is there a place to recycle/dispose of non-rechargeable batteries? You know, the regular ones.

[NanoCube-boy]

umm... Radioshack, Bestbuy...

[DgenR8]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10855645#post10855645 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by roblack
While I get upset with the local homeless and fishermen on the beach, the problem is much bigger than the local threat. So I pull the trash that I can out of the ocean all the while realizing that it probably doesn't matter much. Maybe I help out a sea turtle or 2, who knows? Happy to recycle some batteries!

If everyone thought that their little contribution made a difference, and everyone made that contribution, there would be no pollution.
If everyone thought their contribution wouldn't make a difference, and decided not to make that contribution, we'd be up to our ears in garbage.
The problem could be much, much worse than it is now, but it could also be a whole lot better. Every time you toss something into a trash can, rather than littering, you help. If you pick up someone else's trash, you help more. When somebody sees you pick up another person's trash, and gets inspired to do so themselves, you begin to change the world.

[NanoCube-boy]

Dgenr8, I agree.

[nrstype]

Well said DgenR8 ! Well said. :beer:

[roblack]

Thanks Larry and all others, I'll keep at it! :)

[redline]

you can also go to cell phone stores like Sprint, and just ask for a phone recycling bag, and drop them in and it's postage paid, so put it in the mailbox.

[bigfun]

Larry,
I could not agree more! When I see someone littering, I yell at them to clean it up, or just go clean it up myself! One person CAN make a change! Lead by example!!
I decrease my "footprint" every chance I get!! Re-usable bags for my groceries, bulk packaging for my foods, there are a million things you can do! And a million websites that will help you!!

[Robka]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=3438009#post3438009 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Vincerama2
...Just wait until eco-friendly electric cars and hybrids become more popular. Will that mean even more battery dumping?

V

The batteries in Hybrid vehicles are recyclable. Gas guzzling car salesman like to use this argument to steer people away from trying to do their part to keep this planet alive. I am currently looking into a system wind/solar that not only will power my house and take me off the grid, but also sell energy back to the electric company for a profit:) Payback is only 5 years and then my aquarium will be truly ECO-FRIENDLY

P.S. Taking care of our planet is not a political issue. It is about providing our children, grandchilden, etc. with a beautiful place to live
;)

[jasonm]

A little really does go a long way, I just wish more people care about the effects of their actions....

[NanoCube-boy]

Yea a little does goes well in a long run, but people doesn't understand it because they think a little can do no harm. They don't understand the consequence in the long run and if thousand peoples team up together and throw one batteries improperly, then the ocean will be filled with toxin acid. In reality, that's what happen, they doesn't know that they are team up harm the world.

It's like walking a street, throwing a wrapper on the floor, saying it's just a small candy wrapper, but there are other trash on the floor too. Doesn't really understand that our planet is there home, home to everyone. Damaging our fragile ocean, the start of food chain, can lead to extinction of life.

[bubbles129129]

what people dont realize is that the coral reefs are not only a magnificent wonder of nature, but they also protect the shorelines from tsunamis, without a reef the tsunamis would not break and slow down; instead they would break right at the shore destroying much more than they already do today.

[NanoCube-boy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14190124#post14190124 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bubbles129129
what people dont realize is that the coral reefs are not only a magnificent wonder of nature, but they also protect the shorelines from tsunamis, without a reef the tsunamis would not break and slow down; instead they would break right at the shore destroying much more than they already do today.

Is that right? How do you know that?

[bubbles129129]

yes, totally true; a healthy gives an island coastline at least twice as much protection as a dead reef. check it out

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S16/62/14C41/index.xml?section=newsreleases

[NanoCube-boy]

Oh wow, that's really a saver.

[fishguy86]

ok so if we all pick up trash the next time we see any .. the world will be beter off .. so do your part ,,, talk is cheap ..i promise to do mine!

[bubbles129129]

hahaha im turning 16 soon and I tried to get my mom to let me trade our station wagon that im going to get for a smartcar but she wont let me :(

[reefamundo]

Thanks for the tip on where to recycle old batteries. I've got literally dozens of locations within 20 miles of my house. I will do what I can. Thanks.

[richardhmc]

Just comes to show how much we really need the reefs.

What was the picture ? I can't see it

[battplus]

I think on page 2 there is a link to the site where the picture was. It's been a while so I am not sure if they still have it? It was a pic of dozens of batteries from a lighthouse that had been discarded into the water.

[dskrezyna]

When I saw the title I was thikning the smaller batteries, not the ones used in cars. Invest in a battery charger and use Eneloop rechargeable batteries. They are the best out there. i use them in all my photography equipment. Everytime I see those sales bins with Energizer or Durcell non-rechargeable batteries, I cringe.

[battplus]

Nice, that's interesting, I have never heard of that brand of rechargeable. I used to manage several battery stores, and we recycled everything. I agree the Duracell and Energizer is not very good, your paying for the advertised name, not quality.

[dskrezyna]

I buy them on eBay; usually an 8-pack for $30.

[battplus]

Wow, good price for quality! Nice tip on the rechargeables too, not only saving money, but keeping people from wasting alkalines when they just throw them in the trash. Good thing is recycling drop offs take the small common sized rechargeables, some won't take alkalines now. They claim they are "safer for landfills", I guess mercury, and other toxic metals are safe now!

[NoobySWkeeper]

The guy was probaly havin a bad day, he was just like, F*** it im gonna screw up the reefs and cause hazards everywhere because I had a bad day!

[battplus]

Pretty much, I agree it's mainly just laziness and having to pay to remove or dispose of them. All it takes is one call to recycling centers and they will assist or help you find a method for disposal, just takes a little extra effort.