Not sure what to do with your old batteries at home? Collect, Protect, & Drop Off!

As you uncover old batteries in your garage, basement or junk drawers, remember that properly recycling them is the safest and the most responsible thing you can do. Batteries thrown in the trash or recycling bin can spark and possibly cause a fire and batteries that end up in our landfills can be harmful to wildlife and the environment.

When you have used batteries, safely collect and store them at home until you’re ready to take them to a drop-off location for recycling.

COLLECT

Keep batteries out landfills.

When you replace batteries at their end-of-life, collect them in a non-metal container.

  • Avoid placing loose batteries in drawers or containers that contain other metal objects such as coins, paper clips or screws.
  • Use a non-metal container to collect your batteries, such as an old yogurt container, milk jug or plastic storage bin.

PROTECT

Safely store your batteries by keeping them cool and preventing sparks

  • Store your container of batteries in a cool, dry place. Room temperature is fine, but avoid direct sunlight or extreme heat. Incidents can occur when batteries (or the devices they power) are exposed to inclement or excessively hot weather.
  • Some batteries pose a risk of sparking if they rub against other batteries, metals or potentially flammable materials. This could result in fires, personal injury or other damage.

Reduce the risk of sparks by protecting the terminals of lithium, small sealed lead acid (SSLA), alkaline over 12V, and button/coin cell batteries using one of these options:

OPTION 1:

Tape Terminals

Cover the terminals* with clear packing tape, duct tape or electrical tape

*Avoid covering battery label

OPTION 2:

Bag & Seal

Place each battery in a clear, sealable / zipped bag. Zip-seal or produce bags recommended

DROP OFF

Safely and responsibly recycle your batteries

  • Avoid corrosion by dropping your batteries off every 3 months or less. This  keeps recycling convenient, while avoiding oozy messes.
  • Use our online locator tool to find your nearest drop off location. You can contact your preferred location in advance to confirm hours and availability.

* Contact your local drop-off location in advance to confirm hours and availability. Drop-off site availability may be limited due to the concerns of COVID-19. If your local drop-off site is closed or not accepting batteries, we encourage you to continue safely storing your used batteries until options become available.

Batteries can and should be recycled. Here’s why:

  • Battery recycling keeps harmful materials out of landfill 
    Used batteries that end up in your community’s landfill can contain toxic materials that may harm wildlife and the environment.
  • Battery recycling helps keep people and property safe
    Responsible battery recycling practices ensure batteries are handled in a way that reduces potential fire hazards
  • Battery recycling supports sustainability
    Materials reclaimed from recycled batteries can be used to make new products.

About Call2Recycle

Call2Recycle is your provincially-regulated, not-for-profit battery recycling program dedicated to the safe collection and recycling of used batteries.