Where do Power banks and portable chargers go?

A power bank is mostly battery by weight, so everything true of a loose lithium cell is true of it: crushing it shorts it, and a shorted cell in a compactor is a fire. Swollen cases are the visible warning sign, and a power bank whose seams have opened should be treated as urgent rather than left in a drawer. Take it to a household waste centre or an electricals take-back point, where it is separated before anything is baled. If the case is hot or has vented, keep it outside on a non-combustible surface until you can hand it over. Councils differ on whether small electricals are collected at the kerb, so check yours before making a trip.

How to prepare it

1. Charge state does not matter — do not try to run it flat first.
2. Bag a swollen unit separately and tell the staff at the tip what it is.

What not to do

• Never bin a power bank; it behaves exactly like a loose lithium cell under a compactor.
• Never keep charging one that has swollen — the pouch has already failed.

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.
• 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.
• 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.