With the future of the planet at stake, many of us have developed a new consciousness when it comes to the environment. Recycling and the proper disposal of potentially hazardous materials have taken on a new and growing significance. From common household chemical to batteries of all kinds, a serious environmental health impact can be averted if these common, everyday materials are properly disposed of.
Virtually all wrist watches in use today are powered by a battery. With millions of new wrist watches sold worldwide every year and millions more currently in service, imagine how many watch batteries are changed out and disposed of every year. The figures are in the hundreds of millions so the issue of how to properly dispose of these batteries is critical. To understand just how serious the issue of battery recycling can be it is necessary to look at how watch batteries are made and the hazardous materials that are contained inside.
Wrist watch batteries are commonly referred to as button cells or button batteries. Watch batteries can contain a number of substances, including mercury, lithium, silver, cadmium and other heavy metals. Proper recycling of these batteries, which are found in other types electronic devices like hearing aids, is proving to be a profitable business enterprise. Metals like silver and lithium can be reused, though the process of recovering these substances can be expensive. Once these metals are introduced into the environment, removal is virtually impossible. Heavy metals are now found in every level of the food chain and do not break down over time.
For example, if heavy metals like lead and cadmium are introduced into a lake or stream, fish and other aquatic animals may ingest the substance. Since heavy metals concentrate in fatty tissues and organs like the liver, humans and other animals who consume the fish are also consuming the heavy metal, which then concentrates in our tissues. Our bodies do not expel these substances very easily and tend to remain in the body for years.
As human eat more contaminated food, the concentration of heavy metals increases. When watch batteries, car batteries and even flashlight batteries are disposed of in a landfill, the outer case of these batteries eventually corrodes and the contaminants inside leech into the surrounding soils and even down to the ground water. Once these substances get into the ground water, it is virtually impossible to remove them, even though filtering. A whole host of adverse health effects can result from heavy metal contamination, and can range from birth defects to cancers, organ failure and many other diseases.
It is easy to see that the risk is real and the consequences are serious. We all have a responsibility to reduce the amount of hazardous material in the environment and ourselves. Getting educated about how to safely dispose of batteries, including our old watch batteries is the first step. Whenever you need to change out the battery in your watch, have it changed at a retailer that offers a program to properly recycle the old battery.
Many jewelers and retailers will install a new battery free of charge and you will not be saving any money by replacing the old battery yourself. Some watches require special tooling to open the case that will not break waterproof seals. Some watches are designed with o-rings that can be easily damaged is the watch is handled incorrectly. Taking your watch, even an inexpensive one, to a qualified retailer eliminates the possibility that you may damage your watch, but will also ensure the old battery can be properly recycled. The risks are real and the choice is yours.
Retreaded car tyres (or remoulds as they are sometimes better known) have been a part of the tyre market for many years. It is not that long ago that every tyre dealer in the country sold retreaded car tyres as a budget line. These days, the increased influx of cheap new tyres from China has meant that retreads are now available only through selected dealers. However, with environmental issues becoming more important to the general public, it is the retread's status as a recycled product that is now becoming more important.
How is a Retread Made?
Firstly, the retreader takes a worn tyre casing and inspects it to check it is suitable for retreading. The remaining old tread rubber is then removed during a process called "buffing". This provides a profile and surface texture in preparation for the application of a new tread.
The tyre is then inspected for a second time and any correction work is then carried out before the next stage of the manufacturing process, which is the application of a new tread and sidewall veneer. In car tyre retreading this is done by applying uncured tread and sidewall rubber, usually by using a strip-winding machine.
The built tyre then moves on to the curing or vulcanisation process. In car tyre retreading this is carried out in individual curing moulds (similar to those used in new tyre manufacturing).
After curing, a final inspection process is carried out identify any potential defect. Unacceptable tyres are rejected and scrapped.
What is the Quality of Retreads Like?
Despite the historical image, the quality of retreaded tyres today is very good. Since 2004 all retreaded car tyres in the UK have been subject to an ECE Regulation (Reg 108), which stipulates that all retreads have to meet the same load and speed test criteria as new tyres. Each retreader has to subject a proportion of his production for testing and, if his tyres fail, he runs the risk of being closed down. Retreaded tyres not produced to ECE 108 are illegal.
One erroneously held belief is the idea that retreads cannot be used on motorways or above 50 mph. Absolute Rubbish! Most retreads sold in the UK market are rated to either T (118 mph), H (130 mph) or V (149 mph). The exception is some retreaded winter tyres which may be Q rated (99 mph) but these are mostly sold overseas.
Another myth is the belief that the discarded tread rubber from truck tyres that you see on the side of motorways is from retreads. Not true. Truck tyre failures occur primarily as a result of poor tyre maintenance, for example by running a tyre underinflated or when the tyre has suffered some kind of damage. In this case the tyre will fail regardless of whether a tyre is a retread or a new tyre.
Incidentally retreads make up about 40% of all truck tyres on the road and in many applications they routinely outperform new tyres.
How Green Are Retreads?
Retreads are extremely environmentally friendly.
Firstly, the production of a retread saves substantial amounts of fossil fuels. In fact, the manufacture of a passenger retread requires 4.5 gallons less oil than a new tyre.
Secondly, retreaded car tyres sold in the UK are almost exclusively manufactured in the UK, which means they don't have to be shipped from the other side of the world, unlike many budget new tyres, a high proportion of which are manufactured in China and other Far East countries.
Retreading is also the best practical environmental option for tyre recycling. Every retread used means one less new tyre saving in natural resources. It also means that less tyres ultimately have to be burned (the most common form of disposal in the UK) thereby reducing pollution. In fact, a recent study by the Environmental Association found that out of all the various options for tyre recycling, retreading has the least environmental impact. So retreads really are green.
Both Mitch Endick & Black Circles are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mitch Endick has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home, Puppies Dogs and Education. Mitch Endick is a staff writer for the quality online store . RVSheetSet.com offers