Why can't batteries go in the bin?
Find a battery drop-off near you
One battery in a bin can spark a fire. Find a safe place to drop off your used batteries:
- B-cycle: Australia's national government-backed battery recycling scheme.
Where can I take my battery for recycling?
Where you take your battery depends on what type of battery you have. See below for different battery types and how to find more information.
Loose batteries are standard batteries which are designed to be inserted or removed from a product.
Loose batteries may include AA, AAA, C, D, button batteries and rechargeable batteries that can be easily removed from products such as power tools.
Loose battery recycling under 5kg falls under the national battery stewardship program for battery collection and recycling called B-cycle. To find out more about B-cycle, visit https://bcycle.com.au/.
Loose batteries can be dropped off at many supermarkets, hardware stores and electronics shops. Check out the B-cycle map to find a location near you.
To safely dispose of your loose batteries:
- Tape the terminals with clear, sticky tape to reduce the risk of fire
- Keep them safe in a ventilated, glass container
- Drop them off at your nearest location
Large batteries may include removable e-scooter and e-bike batteries, vacuum cleaner batteries and batteries from large power tools .
Large removable household batteries that are less than 20kg can be taken to a Community Recycling Centre (CRC ) or Household Chemical CleanOut (HCC) events for free disposal.
Find your local CRC or HCC event.
Embedded batteries are batteries that are built-in and can’t be removed from the product. Items with embedded batteries include electric toothbrushes, bluetooth speakers, smart watches, vapes, power banks, vacuum cleaners, toys and more.
E-cigarettes and disposable vapes also contain an embedded battery. These can be very dangerous in household bins as they contain a heating element and lithium battery which can readily ignite during collection or processing.
The EPA is currently trialling the free collection of embedded batteries at select Community Recycling Centres (CRC) across NSW and the collection of vapes at Household Chemical Cleanout (HCC) events.
You can find more about the trial and find a participating CRC near you on our Embedded batteries page. Alternatively, you can find your local CRC or HCC event. Look for “embedded battery trial site” locations under the list view for participating CRCs.
Some e-waste collections also collect items with embedded batteries. Check out your local council website to see if there is an e-waste collection near you.
Used car batteries can be recycled and should be taken to a drop off point. Options for drop-off include automotive shops, battery shops, Community Recycling Centres and Household Chemical Cleanout events.
You can find a drop-off point for a used car battery at Recycle Mate.
Many new laptops and tablets have built-in batteries. The collection and recycling of these products is funded under the federal National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme. They are often collected as “e-waste”.
To find out more about the products collected under this scheme and where they can be dropped off, please visit the Australian Goverment Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: How to recycle e-waste webpage.
Some councils also offer e-waste collections. Check out your local council website to see if there is an e-waste collection near you.
Mobile phone batteries are collected under the Mobile Muster program, the product stewardship program of the telecommunications industry, accredited by the federal government.
To find a drop-off point or to learn more about postage options for mobile phone batteries (whether built-in to the phone or removable), visit Mobile Muster: Recycle a mobile webpage.