I've been meaning to switch from disposable batteries to rechargeables, and now I have even more reason to stop lollygagging. New AA or AAA batteries from the North American Battery Company (NABC) include three-year warranties and can be recharged up to 500 times.

The Hybrio batteries won an International CES Innovations 2007 Design and Engineering Awards, according to the company and just went on sale. The company hasn't disclosed anything about the technology, but obviously the CES judges were impressed.

At $11.99 per 4-pack, that's more than double the cost of high quality disposables, but considering that I spend more than $60 a year on batteries for my digital camera and digital voice recorder, I'll be saving money from year one, even after I pay for the charger.

New York City has mandated that all batteries be recycled and requires that every organization that sells recycled batteries offer recycling bins.

We should go even further. Why not add a 5 cent charge to the sale of each battery, and that is refunded when they are brought to a store? It works in cleaning the streets of plastic and glass bottles and provides a clear incentive that encourages people to go into the stores. The metals can be cost effectively reused, creating a more sustainable environment.