We don’t often think about smartphones being consumable products – most of us either trade in our old phones with the original maker or our carrier, or leave old handsets to languish in drawers or storage boxes (forgive me, iPhone 5s).
However, while strides have been made to make phones more repairable and recyclable, there are still some components that are staunchly unsalvageable once past the point of no return. Chief among those is the battery, which thanks to its volatile chemical makeup and complex construction, cannot be revived once fully worn out.
