Teen Recycles Over 600,000 Batteries and Sparks Global Youth Movement

At just 15 years old, Nihal Tammana is leading a global charge against battery waste. The New Jersey teen started his nonprofit, Recycle My Battery, when he was just 10, after learning how dangerous lithium-ion batteries can be in landfills. Since then, he’s recycled more than 625,000 batteries and installed over 1,000 recycling bins in schools, libraries, and businesses across the U.S.

His impact goes beyond battery bins. With the help of over 1,000 youth volunteers around the world, Tammana’s nonprofit is teaching people that batteries tossed in the trash can release toxic chemicals into the environment. Their research found that a standard alkaline battery, like a Duracell, can cause soil pH to spike to a dangerous 13.01—making the earth too toxic for plants to survive.

Tammana’s work has caught international attention. His program is now featured in a German textbook and is being adopted by B-cycle, Australia’s top battery recycling company. He’s also developing a device that captures leftover battery energy, a prototype verified by a University of Waterloo expert, to help power future recycling plants.

With a goal of recycling 1 million batteries by the end of 2025, Recycle My Battery’s initiatives like The Battery Challenge are gamifying school participation and making environmental activism fun and accessible for students everywhere.

As reported by the Good News Network, Tammana’s mission is simple but powerful: “If I can make the Earth a better place to live, you can… If you can, we all can.”

Join the movement—set up a battery bin, spread the word, and rethink where your used batteries go. It’s a small act that makes a big difference for animals, the planet, and future generations.

Video Source: DW Planet A/Youtube

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