See what recycling your batteries saves.

By recycling 21 kg of batteries, you reduce impacts on:

• Global warming

  32 / kg CO2-eq

  0306090120150

  Recycling avoids the greenhouse gases released when metals are mined, shipped and refined from ore, easing the climate pressure Africa bears while emitting the least.

• Fossil energy demand

  378 / MJ

  03607201,0801,4401,800

  Mining and refining virgin metals burns diesel and coal at every stage, energy Africa largely imports. Recycling delivers the same metals for a fraction of that cost.

• Particulate matter

  42 / g PM2.5-eq

  04080120160200

  Fine particles reach deep into the lungs and drive respiratory disease across fast-motorising cities. Formal recycling avoids smelters and open battery waste burning.

• Water scarcity

  1,050 / litres-eq

  01,0002,0003,0004,0005,000

  Mining and mineral processing are thirsty industries, and many African river basins are already stretched. Recycling recovers metals without drawing new ground water.

• Summer smog

  13 / g C2H4-eq

  01224364860

  Ground-level ozone forms when pollutants react with heat and strong sunlight, leaving equatorial cities highly prone to smog. Recycling cuts the emissions feeding it.

• Mineral resources

  53 / g Sb-eq

  050100150200250

  Antimony equivalence measures mineral depletion. Africa exports its cobalt and copper yet imports its batteries. Recycling keeps those minerals moving in circulation.

Factors are indicative averages drawn from published life-cycle assessments of lithium-ion battery recycling, using the avoided-burden method. Meters show your weight against a 100 kg reference. Actual savings vary by battery chemistry, recycling route and grid mix.