Nickel is commonly used in batteries as this metal is fairly easy to recycle and because there are numerous sources from which nickel can be extracted. On its own it is not that toxic, but other metals it reacts with inside a battery cell can be. This makes some batteries based on nickel dangerous and really hazardous to the environment if they are not recycled properly.
Nickel is commonly found in Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) batteries. It is relatively simple to recycle, but cadmium, a very toxic material, is not. There are only a small number of factories in the world that have the facility to recycle cadmium.It is important not to let traces of the toxic metal to leach into the environment in landfill.
There is also another type known as Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries and they are made of metals that are not toxic to the environment. These batteries could be easily disposed in normal waste, as they do not form a real threat to the environment. It is better to recycle them as well because all metals that compose them, are recyclable and can be.
Please treat batteries with care.Dispose of them with care, collect them and dispose of them at local civic disposal amenities or look for battery collection centres.
