Am I getting paranoid ? No wonder it is said that ignorance is bliss.

Last week, my wife was cleaning out my cabinet and comes across half a dozen used
batteries - the type that cannot be recharged. In accordance with the normal reasoning
for anyone in India in such a situation, she also wonders why I am keeping such junk
instead of throwing it out.

She : These are batteries that have been used, right ?
Me : Yes.

She : Then why are they still here, using up space and adding to the clutter ? Chuck them out. Me : No. I can't do that.

She : And why is that ?
Me : Well, because these contain harmful elements like mercury and thus should be disposed properly. We can't just chuck them in the grabage, which would result in them reaching a landfill, where the harmful elements will seep into the earth and poison the soil.

She : OK. So what should be done instead ?
Me : They should be handed over to be recycled in an environment-friendly way.

She : OK. Then why don't you do that ?
Me : Because I have never seen such a recycling centre or a pick-up box for the same in
India, like the ones I saw in the US or Japan.

She : So, what are you going to do ? Take them along with you to the US, whenever you
happen to go next ?
Me : Hmm. Not a bad idea. Actually that seems to be the only solution I have for this currently. But I do not foresee a trip anytime soon.

She : "Sighs in frustration"
Me : Don't you people find yourself clueless in such situations ?

She : Well, the thing is we don't see a problem at all here. Once used, we chuck it out.
Problem solved. While you seem to be getting all paranoid about such a simple thing.
Me : Hmmm.

No wonder it is said that Ignorance is Bliss. If I had not read about the harmful effects of dumping used batteries along with the garbage, I would have also moved on, without living
with a stock of used batteries in my cabinet.

I just hope some battery manufacturer in India has a recycling programme where I can handover these used cells without them ending up in landfills. Else, I will have quite some
stuff with me to carry on my next trip to Japan or the US, whenever that happens.