Staggering Statistic: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year…For Batteries

Come Christmas morning, kids everywhere will tear through wrapping paper to reveal Play All Day Elmo, interactive R2-D2, all kinds of video games, and gadgets galore.

Once those toys come out of the box, there’s one more thing many of them require—batteries. And if parents aren’t prepared, tears and tantrums might be right around the corner.

About 40 percent of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. That means all those extra batteries are being thrown out in a few months—and potentially contaminating the environment as heavy metals leach out of them in landfills.

Instead of stocking up on AAs, pick up some reusable batteries this year. It’ll help reduce the amount of old batteries you ultimately throw away, and also likely save you a few bucks in the long run.