Leading the Charge

When he was just 10 years old, Sri Nihal Tammana watched a story on the news that completely shocked him. A discarded battery had exploded at a waste disposal plant in California, sparking a huge fire. The massive blaze caused millions of dollars in damage.  

“It was just horrific,” says Nihal, now 14. “That’s when I decided to take action.”

When Sri Nihal Tammana was 10, he watched a story on the news that shocked him. A discarded battery had exploded at a waste disposal plant in California. It sparked a huge fire that caused millions of dollars in damage.

“It was just horrific,” says Nihal. He is now 14. “That’s when I decided to take action.”

A staggering 15 billion batteries end up in landfills each year—with the potential to leak dangerous chemicals or catch on fire. The teen from New Jersey made it his mission to stop that from happening. 

In 2019, Nihal founded Recycle My Battery, a nonprofit that collects and recycles used batteries. Today the group has about 550 volunteers—mostly kids and teens—throughout the United States and in four other countries. Together they’ve recycled more than 350,000 batteries.

“Knowing we’re making a real difference motivates our team to push even harder for responsible battery disposal,” Nihal says. 

An amazing 15 billion batteries end up in landfills each year. They can leak dangerous chemicals or catch on fire. The teen from New Jersey made it his mission to stop that from happening.

In 2019, Nihal founded Recycle My Battery. That is a nonprofit that collects and recycles used batteries. Today the group has about 550 volunteers throughout the United States and in four other countries. Most are kids and teens. Together they have recycled more than 350,000 batteries.

“Knowing we’re making a real difference motivates our team to push even harder for responsible battery disposal,” Nihal says.

Batteries aren’t just a problem after they’re tossed out. The process of making batteries can harm the environment too, experts say (see “The Life of a Battery,” above). Batteries create electric power through chemical reactions—and they need minerals such as lithium and cobalt to do it.

Those minerals are found deep underground in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa and Chile in South America. The digging and drilling from mining releases toxic materials that pollute the air, water, and soil. That harms plants and animals in the area as well as the food supply of local residents. 

Batteries are not just a problem after they are tossed out. Experts say the process of making batteries can harm the environment too (see “The Life of a Battery,” p. 12). Batteries create electric power through chemical reactions. To do that, they need minerals such as lithium and cobalt.

Those minerals are found deep underground in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa and Chile in South America. The digging and drilling from mining releases poisonous materials that pollute the air, water, and soil. That harms plants and animals in the area. It also harms the food supply of local residents.

Many of the batteries made with those minerals are designed for single use. When they are thrown away, they disintegrate, and the chemicals inside can seep out in landfills, contaminating soil and groundwater. 

Rechargeable batteries pose an additional threat. The lithium-ion batteries in cell phones, laptops, and other electronic devices store a lot of energy in a small space. If damaged, they can overheat and start a fire, says Brian O’Connor. He is an engineer with the National Fire Protection Association. 

The risk of that happening is higher in landfills, where heavy machines pack down layers of trash. From 2013 to 2020, at least 245 fires at U.S. waste facilities were caused by batteries with lithium in them, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In fact, a lithium-ion battery ignited the blaze that first caught Nihal’s attention.

Many of the batteries made with those minerals are designed for single use. When they are thrown away, they disintegrate. The chemicals inside can seep out in landfills. That can pollute soil and groundwater.

Rechargeable batteries pose an additional threat. The lithium-ion batteries in cell phones, laptops, and other electronic devices store a lot of energy in a small space. If damaged, they can overheat and start a fire, says Brian O’Connor. He is an engineer with the National Fire Protection Association.

The risk of that happening is higher in landfills. There, heavy machines pack down layers of trash. From 2013 to 2020, at least 245 fires at U.S. waste facilities were caused by batteries containing lithium. That is according to the Environmental Protection Agency. A lithium-ion battery is what started the fire that first caught Nihal’s attention.

Nihal wants to reduce the risk of such fires and cut down on the amount of new minerals that need to be mined. He started by going door-to-door, handing out flyers about the importance of recycling batteries. 

But batteries can’t just be put in a household recycling bin. They need to go to facilities equipped to safely handle battery waste. So Nihal began collecting used batteries. He then took them to battery drop-off sites at local electronics and office supply stores. Soon he was collecting more than those sites could manage. 

That’s when Nihal reached out to Call2Recycle, the largest battery recycling nonprofit in North America. Call2Recycle agreed to provide battery bins—and to recycle the batteries that Nihal’s group collected.

Nihal wants to reduce the risk of such fires. He also wants to cut down on the amount of new minerals that need to be mined. Nihal started by going door-to-door. He handed out flyers about the importance of recycling batteries.

But batteries cannot just be put in a household recycling bin. They need to go to facilities equipped to safely handle battery waste. So Nihal began collecting used batteries. He then took them to battery drop-off sites at local electronics and office supply stores. Soon he was collecting more than those sites could manage.

That is when Nihal reached out to Call2Recycle. That is the largest battery recycling nonprofit in North America. Call2Recycle agreed to provide battery bins and to recycle the batteries that Nihal’s group collected.

Recycle My Battery began putting the bins in schools and libraries—and Nihal started recruiting more kids to help. The bins come in two sizes, with the small ones holding up to 300 batteries and the large ones up to 500.

Once the bins are full, they are sent to Call2Recycle, which sorts the batteries by type. Then they are recycled to make new batteries and other products. Since 2019, Nihal and his team have distributed more than 550 battery bins. 

Recycle My Battery began putting the bins in schools and libraries. And Nihal started getting more kids to help. The bins come in two sizes. The small ones hold up to 300 batteries. The large ones hold up to 500.

Once the bins are full, they are sent to Call2Recycle. The batteries are sorted by type. Then they are recycled to make new batteries and other products. Since 2019, Nihal and his team have handed out more than 550 battery bins.

Recycle My Battery also educates people about how to recycle batteries and why it matters. To spread the word, Nihal uses social media and speaks at school assemblies. Volunteers in India, Canada, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates have helped him take his message worldwide. 

“People know how to recycle plastic or trash properly,” Nihal says. “But nobody knows about batteries.”

Recycle My Battery also teaches people how to recycle batteries and why it matters. To spread the word, Nihal uses social media. He also speaks at school assemblies. Volunteers in India, Canada, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates have helped him take his message worldwide.

“People know how to recycle plastic or trash properly,” Nihal says. “But nobody knows about batteries.”

He’s also raising awareness in other creative ways. In October 2023, Recycle My Battery broke a Guinness World Record for the longest line of batteries. More than 100 volunteers helped Nihal place 31,204 used batteries in a single line at the elementary school he attended in Edison, New Jersey. Afterward, they sent the batteries to Call2Recycle. 

For his work, Nihal has been honored with numerous awards. Recently, he was among three finalists for the 2023 International Children’s Peace Prize.

With the popularity of electronics and electric vehicles on the rise, the demand for lithium-ion batteries will likely continue to grow. Nihal says Recycle My Battery will keep expanding too. “We’re building a community that values environmental stewardship,” he says, “one battery at a time.” 

Nihal is also raising awareness in other creative ways. In October 2023, Recycle My Battery broke a Guinness World Record for the longest line of batteries. More than 100 volunteers helped Nihal place 31,204 used batteries in a single line. They did this at the elementary school he attended in Edison, New Jersey. Then they sent the batteries to Call2Recycle.

For his work, Nihal has been honored with numerous awards. Recently, he was among three finalists for the 2023 International Children’s Peace Prize.

The popularity of electronics and electric vehicles is on the rise. So the demand for lithium-ion batteries will likely continue to grow. Nihal says Recycle My Battery will keep expanding too. “We’re building a community that values environmental stewardship,” he says, “one battery at a time.”