How Idiotic Can People Be About Lithium, Minerals And Recycling?

That lithium is getting more exciting as a mineral to go dig up is true. All those batteries for electric cars. Unfortunately, the world’s supply of idiocy also seems to be rising.

Just how ignorant do you have to be to get to this point?

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]There are also concerns around how to recycle it. Eco-nonprofit Friends of the Earth notes that lithium recycling is fraught, as the metal is “toxic, highly reactive and flammable.”[/perfectpullquote]

Not particularly toxic, no, but flammable and reactive, yes.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“It tends to be incinerated or ends up in landfill due to very low collection rates and flawed waste legislation,” Friends of the Earth states in their lithium factsheet. “Low collection rates, the low and volatile market price of lithium, and the high cost of recycling relative to primary production have contributed to the absence of lithium recycling.” The organization recommends further social and environmental impact assessments should be made.[/perfectpullquote]

Well, yes. Except the FoE piece is about the sort of lithium batteries going as those cute little buttons into cameras and the like. Which do or at least can use lithium metal. Which we’re really not going to be using in cars. Where we use lithium compounds. And where we’re really very definitely going to recycle because there’s just no problem with collecting 50 to 100 lbs of the stuff when we swap out a battery pack at the garage, is there?

That is, our intrepid writer has entirely failed to note that there are two lithium battery technologies. The FoE report talking about the other one than she is.

Sigh.