India, Feb. 5 -- Every winter, Delhi braces itself for thick, choking smog, and everyone points fingers at cars and factories. But there's another big reason for the haze that barely gets mentioned: the lithium batteries thrown out with the rest of our garbage and the everyday waste fires burning on the streets. This is pollution we're creating ourselves, but most of us don't even realise it's happening. It's not just outside factors anymore - Delhi's smog is also about what we use and throw away.

Think about all the gadgets we use daily - earbuds, LED lights, kids' toys - all powered by lithium batteries. Once tossed out, these batteries turn into little time bombs in our trash. Since we mix everything in one black plastic bag - from fo...