It's bizarre to me that P&G (Oral-B) seemed to have figured this out where Philips couldn't. Granted the batteries still aren't user-replaceable, but their manual at least doesn't tell you that you have to be a "qualified professional" to safely dispose of a toothbrush, and battery removal is a lot more straightforward than requiring a hammer.

If you have to be a qualified professional to ensure that a brush is disposed of the right way, well, that's a good way to ensure that they won't be disposed of the right way.