Battery disposal

Never bin batteries

Batteries that are thrown away into the general rubbish bin or recycling bin pose a fire risk.

It's important that we all know how to dispose of batteries correctly and safely.

When your waste and recycling bins are collected by our crews, any batteries inside can be squashed, punctured or shredded. When this happens, some batteries can get very hot and ignite, sometimes causing a fire or explosion in the bin lorry or at the waste facility. This has happened several times this year already.

Safe battery disposal

Batteries can be recycled - but only if disposed of correctly.

Recycling batteries is safe, easy and free. The batteries are taken away and stored safely before being recycled.

All batteries you use at home can be put out with your kerbside collection for recycling in a clear plastic bag on top of (not inside) the appropriate bin to be removed separately. Never put batteries inside of your bin.

We can collect the following if placed in a clear plastic bag:

• removable batteries
• rechargeable batteries
• button/coin batteries
• batteries found in electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, mobile phones, electronic toys.

The batteries are placed in cages on the side of the bin lorries so must be contained in bag.

• Blue lid recycling bin in Northampton
• Black lid general waste bin in Daventry
• Either bin in South Northamptonshire

Other places that take batteries

There are lots of places, such as supermarkets and DIY stores, where you can take your old batteries for recycling.

Waste electronic recycling

If you cannot remove the batteries from a broken electronic device (anything powered by a battery or plug) then you can put the whole electronic item out for recycling in the same way in a separate carrier bag. The items are placed in cages in the side of the bin lorries so small items must be contained in bag.

If it fits in a carrier bag its fine, anything larger must be taken to a Household Waste Recycling Centre.

By recycling you help reduce climate change.

Dead batteries contain polluting chemicals and metals and some precious metals, including lead, mercury, zinc, copper and lithium which can be safely extracted and reused in new batteries and electricals. It also means that less mining and drilling will be needed for raw materials which will help reduce climate change.

Last updated 16 October 2023