How Do I Dispose of Cell Phone Batteries?

Rechargeable batteries contain dangerous chemicals and should be recycled whenever possible.

Cell phone batteries, like all rechargeable batteries, contain chemicals that can harm the environment if they begin to crack and leak. Properly disposing of rechargeable batteries means recycling them. Many companies participate in programs where consumers can drop off their old batteries to be recycled at no charge. The non-profit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation has helped set up a network of 30,000 recycling drop-off locations for consumers.

Instructions

1. Gather up your old cell phone batteries from around the house. Any rechargeable battery can be recycled, so grab any additional batteries from other devices you don't use anymore.

2. Go to the Call2recycle website (see Resources). The Call2recycle program has been around since 1994 and has diverted 50 million pounds of rechargeable batteries from local landfills.

3. Enter your zip or postal code and press "Go" to find a list of locations near you that accept old batteries for recycling.

4. Go to a location and leave the old batteries with an employee. The company will now take care of sending those batteries back to the recycling company.

References

• Environment, Health and Safety Online: Battery disposal guide
• Environment, Health and Safety Online: Steps for recycling batteries
• call2recycle: Program FAQ

Resources

• call2recycle: Rechargable Battery Recycling Locations