Boy, 15, recycles 625,000 batteries

ENVIRONMENT/BUSINESS

When Nihal Tammana (pictured above) was 10 years old, he heard a news report about a lithium-ion battery exploding at a waste disposal plant. That led him to learning about the environmental risks of batteries being left in landfills. So, he decided to do something about it and start a not-for-profit, which he called Recycle My Battery. Five years later and, at 15 years of age, he’s already recycled more than 625,000 batteries — and placed more than 1,000 battery bins in schools, libraries, and businesses to make recycling easier.

Tammana lives in Monroe, New Jersey, however, he’s expanded his efforts beyond the United States. His story and mission have already been featured in a German educational textbook, adding battery recycling advocacy to school curriculums. He’s also teamed up with B-cycle, Australia’s largest battery recycling company, to place battery bins in schools nationwide.

Lately, Tammana is working on a Residual Charge Project, developing a prototype — confirmed by a University of Waterloo expert — to extract leftover energy from used batteries that could power battery recycling plants.

With its 1,000 volunteers globally, Recycle My Battery is focused on educating people on the effects of sending batteries to landfill. The group says degrading batteries dramatically increase salt levels — rendering soil toxic with an alarming pH of 13.01 — way beyond the range suitable for any vegetation.

With its goal of recycling one million batteries by the end of 2025 through initiatives such as The Battery Challenge, which gamifies school participation, Tammana is now inviting communities and organisations to join the campaign by setting up battery bins and spreading awareness.

“If I can make the Earth a better place to live, you can. If you can, we all can,” says Tammana.

If I can make the Earth a better place to live, you can. If you can, we all can.

Nihal Tammana

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