We’ve spent today checking weather reports and watching a coating of ice grow on surfaces outside. So far our power’s stayed on. I’ve found it hard to focus on anything else—except baking a loaf of bread and a huge batch of boston baked beans, calorie-dense foods we can warm easily or eat cold.
I wish I had more to show for my shedding, but all I can claim is consolidating and culling our alkaline small-cell batteries. We started buying rechargeable AA and AAAs years ago, but still find ourselves needing a few 9-volt cells for smoke detectors and lithium buttons for bicycle computers. And once on a tour I discovered my taillight was dead and resorted to picking up a 4-pack at a drugstore. I wish it were possible to purchase small cells loose in bins, as one used to buy screws and nails in hardware stores, so I could get just the number I need. (Huh, if only I could still buy ironmongery that way.) But batteries in the bubble packs don’t seem to come in quantities less than twice as many as I need. So we’ve accumulated extras, which were stored here and there, and some of the ones stored “there” were oozing in their advanced age.
The rejects will go to our community recycling center, which disposes of them safely. The good ones are now keeping company in a clearly labeled container in a closet. I had them in the freezer, but I just read on snopes.com that it doesn’t help. Shucks. I felt so clever and virtuous.
Duracell and Energizer say I shouldn’t store batteries in the freezer. But how else will I know where to look for them?
shedding style: recycle
destination: community household hazardous waste collection
Comments welcome … what might you shed today?
What I Shed Today 