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Does your electrical item contain batteries? If so, they may cause a fire if not recycled properly. So remove the batteries to recycle them separately. And do not put them in the general rubbish bin.
Why it’s important to take charge of recycling your batteries
Our research shows there’s been over 700 fires over the last year caused by binned batteries across the UK. Local authorities say it’s a growing problem.
These fires are challenging for fire services to deal with, have a significant impact on local communities and present a real risk to staff working on lorries and waste plants.
There are many valuable materials inside batteries that can be reused if recycled properly, like nickel, zinc, cadmium and lithium. See our FAQs to find out how these materials are recovered.
When the raw materials of batteries are recovered, they can be reused for other purposes or to make new things. For example, the lithium in some batteries could power thousands of electric cars!
Does your electrical item contain batteries? If so, they may cause a fire if not recycled properly. So remove the batteries to recycle them separately. And do not put them in the general rubbish bin.
Set aside a bag just for batteries. Then each time you remove a battery from a gadget, put it in the bag ready to take to a recycling point, or to be collected if your local council provides this service.
Use our recycling locator to find your nearest electrical recycling point – often found in supermarkets and shops. Or check with your council website to see if they collect batteries for recycling.
Recycling locatorYou might not have to go anywhere if your local authority collects batteries along with your household recycling. Check your council website.
But don’t worry if your council doesn’t collect batteries. For common household batteries, you’ll find many shops, supermarkets and kerbside collection points have bins especially for these. These batteries include the barrel, button and rechargeable packs used in things like torches, toys, remote controls and cameras.
What about recycling larger battery packs from things like power tools or laptops? You should be able to take these to your council household waste and recycling centre. Alternatively, thousands of electrical retailers and large stores now offer an in-store take-back service. This means you don’t even need to know how to recycle batteries – as they will do it for you.
Find your nearest recycling point using our locator, then check which types of batteries they accept.
The short answer is no. If your batteries have come to the end of their useful life, you should recycle them. Do not add them to your general rubbish as binning them in this way creates a fire hazard in the waste stream.
But you’ll find recycling batteries is easy if you set aside a bag or bin for them. In the kitchen or by the front door is a good place. You probably already have a bin for general rubbish, a bin for kitchen and garden waste, and a bin for recycling things like paper, glass, plastics and tinfoil. Just make sure you don’t mix up batteries in any of these. Instead, pop household batteries in an old bag or tub until you’re ready to visit your nearest recycling point.
Some local authorities do collect batteries along with your other recycling, so it’s worth checking your council website first. You’re all ready to dispose of your batteries correctly.
Remember: recycling batteries, yes; binning batteries, no.
Yes but always recycle batteries separately. Don’t add them to your mixed recycling or general rubbish as this can create a fire hazard.
Recycling batteries is easy if you set aside a bag, bin or tub for them. Pop household batteries in there until you’re ready to visit your nearest recycling point.
Some local authorities collect batteries along with your other recycling, so it’s worth checking your council website first.
The exact process for battery recycling depends on the type of battery, because of the different materials and contain they contain. Generally,