What batteries should i recycle

Sealed Lead Acid batteries are commonly used to power emergency lighting systems, UPS power units, remote control cars and vehicles. The sizes of these batteries vary depending on the application and each must have their positive terminals taped before recycling.

Although not subject to the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, we recommend that the protective caps or masking tape be placed over its terminals prior to being recycled as well. Simply place a piece of masking tape over the terminal ends to secure both the positive and negative terminals. Carefully place broken and or leaking batteries into a separate baggie or UN approved container with protective gloves and eyewear. Mark the container if it contains broken batteries.

To properly secure a battery, simply place a piece of masking tape over the positive terminal end so that it may not come into contact with metal or other batteries. On 6 Volt batteries, place a piece of masking tape around the terminal springs to prevent smaller button cell types from being wedged in-between the terminal. Consider reusing the package from the replacement battery to secure the used battery. Simply place the used battery inside the package and if needed, seal the package with a piece of tape.

If multiple button cell batteries need to be prepared for recycling, simply use a longer piece of packing tape and place each button cell side by side with the positive terminal against the tape. To ensure that the batteries stay together, place another length of packing tape over the negative terminal ends. Please click here to see any active alerts. Find information about the types of batteries used in households and how to manage them when they are no longer needed.

Certain batteries should NOT go in household garbage or recycling bins. This page can inform you on how to manage these batteries safely. Waste batteries can always be recycled or taken to household hazardous waste collection points. Every year in the United States, millions of single use and rechargeable batteries are bought, used and recycled or disposed of in the trash.

Batteries come in various chemistries, types and sizes to fit their use. Batteries can contain metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, nickel and silver, which can pose a threat to human health or the environment when improperly managed at the end of their service life. Learn more about these batteries and their proper management.

Some batteries may also contain materials such as cobalt, lithium and graphite that are considered critical minerals by the United States Geological Survey. Critical minerals are raw materials that are economically and strategically important to the United States and have a high supply risk potential and for which there are no easy substitutes.

Consequently, every effort should be made to recycle and recover these materials to ensure they will be available for generations to come. Once a battery is no longer useful, the type and chemistry of the battery determines which of the various waste management options to use. It is important to manage batteries correctly according to their type because some batteries can cause a risk to safety and health if mismanaged at the end of their lives. Batteries can have enough energy to injure or start fires even when used and when they appear to be discharged.

For safety, remember that not all batteries are removable or serviceable by the user—heed battery and product markings regarding safety and use for all types of batteries. Some reclamation companies recycle these batteries; check with your local or state solid waste authority for management options. In most communities, alkaline and zinc carbon batteries can be safely put in your household trash.

EPA recommendation: send used alkaline and zinc carbon batteries to battery recyclers or check with your local or state solid waste authority. For up-to-date information on the laws in your state, consult this map created by Call2Recycle. The website for your local government is a great place to start.

Many municipalities host collection events for hazardous waste and electronics. Some also have permanent drop-off facilities. A few states—including New York and Minnesota—require retailers that sell certain batteries to collect them for recycling.

Others insist that battery manufacturers fund or organize battery collection programs. A clickable map at TIA E-cycling Central lists recycling events by state, along with other local recycling options. Earth and Call2Recycle also have a tool to help locate recycling drop-off points, allowing you to search for collections by battery type. Before you head to a collection site, though, make sure the organizers will accept the kind of battery you want to recycle.

Button cell batteries are often easy to get rid of, too, and some manufacturers offer mail-in recycling programs. In some parts of the country, though, it may be difficult to recycle single-use alkaline batteries. Before you throw them in the trash, though, stick a piece of tape over the contacts.

That will lower the risk of fires. Disposing of them in the original packing helps, too. We love our planet, right? Lithium-ion batterie s have become increasingly prevalent in the market, and the proportion of these batteries being sent to landfills for disposal has increased greatly over the past few years.

Though intact Li-ion batteries are relatively non-toxic, the sheer number being produced and used make them a concern. Recycling Li-ion batteries is done more for environmental reasons than profitability, as the product is highly toxic when broken apart. Since the process is often subsidized by Lithium-ion battery producers, there is no reason for them to go to landfills, which could cause unforeseen problems in the future. Alkaline battery systems are safe to dispose of as regular waste due to a regulated decrease in mercury content in These batteries do contain the reusable materials zinc and manganese, but the recovery process is difficult and dangerous.

Alkaline batteries are approved for disposal via household waste streams, but best-practice efforts to recycle them for environmental reasons are increasing. Check with local disposal services or recycling programs as to whether they will accept them. The most important priority to support the safe disposal of scrap or spent batteries is to sort them by type.

Each battery chemistry has a different process for recycling and disposal, and mixing them can be extremely dangerous.