Where do Household batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V) go?

Any shop selling a meaningful quantity of batteries has to take spent ones back in the UK and in most of the EU, which is why the collection box sits by the tills rather than somewhere you would have to ask for it. Loose batteries in a wheelie bin get crushed in the truck; alkaline cells then leak potassium hydroxide, and any lithium cells mixed in with them can short and ignite. Batteries also carry zinc, manganese, nickel and cobalt that are recoverable and worth recovering, and none of that happens once they are in landfill. Collection rules vary by council and by country, so check what your own authority accepts before assuming the kerbside bin is an option.

How to prepare it

1. Tape over the terminals of 9V batteries — the two contacts sit side by side and short against other cells.
2. Keep spent cells in a jar or tub rather than loose in a drawer.
3. Take them in a bag, not a metal tin.

What not to do

• Never put them in the kerbside recycling bin — they are crushed on the sorting line and start fires there.
• Never burn them; the casing bursts and the electrolyte is caustic.
• Never mix leaking cells with the rest — the white crust is potassium hydroxide and it burns skin and eyes.

Kerbside collection rules genuinely vary by council and county, and local rules always win over general guidance. The reasoning above is what transfers — if your service differs, it will usually be for a reason described here.

Other things that go to shop or manufacturer take-back

• Lithium-ion batteries Battery or WEEE collection point only. A lithium cell in a bin lorry is a fire, not a littering problem.
• Vapes and disposable e-cigarettes A vape shop or supermarket take-back bin. It is electrical waste with a lithium cell inside, not litter.
• Mobile phones Wipe it, then trade it in, donate it or hand it to an electricals take-back point.
• Disposable coffee cups Not the kerbside bin. Take them to a shop cup collection point, or general waste — the lid and sleeve recycle separately.
• Button and coin cells Battery collection point. Tape them first — and keep them away from small children until they go.
• Coffee pods and capsules Brand take-back scheme if aluminium; general waste for most plastic pods. Compostable ones need a food waste collection.
• Rechargeable batteries (NiMH, NiCd) Battery collection point. NiCd cells contain cadmium and are hazardous waste in most jurisdictions.
• Laptops and computers Wipe the drive, then donate, trade in or take it to WEEE recycling. The battery makes binning it a fire risk.
• Printer cartridges Manufacturer freepost return or a shop collection box. Not the kerbside bin.
• Tyres Tyre fitter or household waste centre, usually for a small fee. They are banned from landfill in the UK and EU.
• Power banks and portable chargers Small electricals collection or a battery take-back point. It is a lithium cell in a plastic shell.
• Propane and patio gas cylinders Back to the supplier or exchange point. Refillable cylinders are almost never yours to scrap.
• Bubble wrap and postal air pillows Soft plastics collection at a supermarket, or reuse it. Not the kerbside bin.
• Toys and gadgets with batteries inside Take the batteries out and deal with them separately; the toy then goes in small electricals. Sealed ones go in whole.