{"id":28689,"date":"2025-11-21T15:36:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T15:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-news\/?p=28689"},"modified":"2026-03-10T14:08:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T14:08:25","slug":"energizing-tomorrow-with-yesterdays-batteries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/2025\/11\/energizing-tomorrow-with-yesterdays-batteries\/","title":{"rendered":"Energizing Tomorrow with Yesterday\u2019s Batteries"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Abraham Swee \/ Photos by Kurt Stepnitz<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In between the crop art, carnival rides, and fried food, the Great Minnesota Get-Together unveiled a new kind of exhibit this year\u2013one that\u2019s all about powering the future. 日韩精品ors to the state fair\u2019s Eco Experience building were met with a power-packed, interactive experience from 日韩精品\u2019s CollectED project, a new initiative aimed at educating the public around battery recycling.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a giant basket of recycled batteries suspended overhead, fairgoers fanned out across the colorful exhibit. They tested their knowledge about e-waste in an animated \u201cPower Play\u201d trivia contest. 日韩精品ors charged their phones at the \u201cRecharge Bar.\u201d Kids searched an interactive mural for batteries using special magnifying glasses. And, in a literal show of strength, Minnesotans were challenged to play \u201cPower Up,\u201d spinning a wheel to see if they could generate the equivalent power of a battery (hint: It\u2019s harder than you think).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fair-goers<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The experience is the brainchild of Macalester environmental studies professor and self-described \u201cbattery lady\u201d Dr. Roopali Phadke. \u201cPeople just bring me batteries,\u201d says Phadke. \u201cWhether they\u2019re in my neighborhood or at work, people just drop them off at my doorstep.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An expert on energy and climate policy, the professor came up with the idea to establish CollectED when she noticed used batteries starting to pile up around her home. \u201cI thought to myself, \u2018I don\u2019t know what to do with these. I know they\u2019re valuable. I know they\u2019re toxic. So how can I better understand this, and how can I help my communities understand this as well?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem itself is threefold. First, batteries pack a toxic punch. In landfills they slowly leak chemicals into the soil, water, and air. That often leads to a second issue: Tossed batteries are fire hazards, sparking multimillion-dollar blazes at recycling facilities every single day. Finally, there\u2019s the waste of precious resources: the cobalt, lithium, and nickel inside your watch battery or electric vehicle battery can be recycled again and again, powering everything from laptops to solar farms\u2014but that\u2019s only if it\u2019s recycled properly.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fair-goers<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Phadke\u2019s dream to deliver the ultimate lesson in battery recycling was recently buoyed by a $1.77 million grant from the US Department of Energy. The agency\u2019s Battery Recycling, Reprocessing, and Battery Collection program was impressed by CollectED\u2019s plan to increase consumer participation in collection programs across the nation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to its state fair exhibit, CollectED launched the REcharge Academy, which has been training educators across the nation to explore creative ways to teach about batteries and energy systems. The project has also been developing a digital StoryMap, an interactive platform where users can explore stories from communities engaged in battery recycling, locate the nearest recycling facilities, and learn safe disposal practices.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help lead the world into a new era of battery recycling, Macalester faculty, staff, and student researchers are collaborating with community partners, including the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Upstream Exhibits, which designed the new fair exhibit. Local poets were even commissioned to write works themed around batteries and delivered their pieces at the fair.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fair-goers<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Recycling Electronics for Climate Action, a nonprofit focused on developing creative e-waste solutions, is also a partner, and its co-director, Maria Jensen, was a regular volunteer staffing CollectED\u2019s Recharge Bar and enjoyed testing fairgoers on their battery knowledge.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re really doing is addressing an education gap,\u201d Jensen says. \u201cBeing here at the fair, I\u2019ve had so many great conversations with people who say they still have all their old batteries in a plastic bag in their basements. This is a great chance to get those batteries out of their homes and to reclaim those precious metals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the International Energy Agency, up to 30 percent of the nickel, cobalt, and lithium needed to build new batteries between now and 2050 could come from recycled batteries. CollectED believes a strong circular economy powers a bright future.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what should someone do with their old batteries? The  answer varies depending on where someone lives. Find a drop-off site near you at call2recycle.org<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter what: \u201cDo not throw your batteries in the trash,\u201d Phadke says. \u201cGet them to a hazardous waste center, and then from that point forward, they can start doing work for everybody.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n