Hyperinflation in metals is also leading to a looping of usage whereby high prices are encouraging recycling of waste streams. Pollution (read not recycling) was a wasteful luxury that was encouraged by cheap oil. Now it ain't so cheap scr/aps of everything become valuable commodities.
Alpha not all batteries are polluting. NiCad and NiMH which have recharge-discharge cycles of up to 1000 times are very effiecient storers of energy. And like I say they are likely to be recycled more and more in the future. Cheaper to recycle than dig out of the ground.
