How to recycle batteries

To find convenient and safe battery recycling facilities near you, please visit: www.takecharge.org.uk but it’s worth consulting the flowchart below if you have an unusual battery, or if it’s not possible to remove it from an electronic device:

Why it’s important to dispose of batteries responsibly

We have more batteries in our homes than ever before. They power everything from laptops and mobile phones to toothbrushes and vacuum cleaners. Apart from the annoyance of finding the correct charging cable, batteries on the whole are brilliant, that is until the time comes to dispose of them.

When they are thrown away with the general rubbish, or mixed with other recycling, hidden “zombie batteries” can easily return from the dead and cause serious fires once collected – particularly higher-powered lithium-ion batteries which are now common across a wide range of household devices from phones and laptops, to power tools, children’s toys, ebikes and scooters, and even vape devices.

Dead batteries thrown away with other waste and recycling are likely to be crushed or punctured once the waste is collected and processed. Some battery types can ignite or even explode when they’re damaged in waste collection and treatment processes. Once this happens, the batteries can set fire to other materials present in the waste, like paper and card, leading to serious incidents that, in some cases, put lives at risk and disrupt vital waste services.