How to recycle
Batteries can be recycled and some councils will collect them as part of their service. Most of the time though, you’ll need to drop them off in a battery bin which all supermarkets now have. Enter your postcode in our recycling locator tool to find out where to recycle them near you.
What types of batteries can be recycled?
- All household batteries including ‘button’ ones from watches
- Battery packs from laptops, mobile phones, power tools and remote controls (put some electrical tape over the terminals)
Although car batteries can be recycled, they can’t be recycled with household batteries in shops. Find a car battery recycling place near you.
What else can you do?
- Use rechargeable batteries if you can – you could even buy a solar powered charger!
- Try to buy appliances that use renewable energy – a wind-up radio or torch, dynamo bicycle lights or solar powered calculators are all good options.
Did you know?
From February 2010, shops selling more than 32kg of batteries a year (approx 345 x four-packs of AA batteries) have to provide battery recycling collection bins in store. This means there are now lots more places where you can take your old batteries for recycling. If you can't see a collection box, ask a shop assistant if they have one - sometimes they keep it behind the counter.
