Where do Button and coin cells go?

Coin cells hold enough charge to keep working after they are too flat to run a device, which is why a swallowed one still burns. A 20 mm lithium cell lodged in a child's oesophagus causes a caustic burn within two hours through electrolysis of the surrounding tissue, and this is a medical emergency, not a wait-and-see. Silver oxide and zinc-air cells also contain recoverable metal, and older mercuric-oxide types must not go anywhere near general waste at all. Tape each cell across both faces so it cannot short or be picked up loose, and use the same shop collection box as ordinary batteries. Shop collection boxes work the same everywhere, but check whether your council also takes batteries at the kerb.

How to prepare it

1. Tape over both faces of each cell before it leaves the drawer.
2. Collect them in a lidded jar out of reach of children.
3. Hand them in at any battery collection box.

What not to do

• Never leave a spent coin cell loose where a child or pet can reach it — swallowing one causes internal burns within hours.
• Never bin them; they short against each other and against other metal in the load.

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

• Household batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V) Battery collection point — a supermarket or DIY store box, or the household waste centre. Never the kerbside bin.
• 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.
• 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.