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Batteries

We offer a weekly collection service for most small household batteries. Please follow the guidance outlined below.

Batteries we can collect

We can collect batteries up to the size of a D battery, see below for examples:

9V, AA, AAA, Button, C, D batteries, lithium-ion batteries up to the size of a D cell battery

Batteries we collect

Ensure button cell/lithium batteries have a piece of tape over the terminals, this will help to prevent the risk of ignition/fires

Batteries we cannot collect:

  • Batteries larger than a D battery
  • Damaged or leaking batteries
  • 6 V
  • car batteries
  • e-scooter battery
  • mobility scooter battery
  • batteries with trailing wires
  • children's ride on toy batteries
  • motorbike batteries        
  • sealed lactic acid/gel batteries
  • 12v leisure batteries

Guidance for presenting batteries

  • Place batteries in a clear plastic bag (such as used sandwich bag). Its important to use a clear bag, so collection staff can see the contents
  • Place the bag of batteries on top of the lid of your food waste bin, on collection day
  • We have limited capacity on collection vehicles, so please do not present more than 10 batteries at a time.
  • To ensure batteries stay dry, either tie the handles loosely or fold the bag
  • Do not tie the bag to your bin
  • Keep batteries separate from vapes
  • Ensure button cell/lithium ion batteries have a piece of tape over the terminals, this will help to prevent the risk of ignitions.
  • We don't collect batteries from flats using shared bins – use the waste wizard to find recycling points near you.
  • Between collections, batteries should be stored in a cool, dry place
  • If you have a large amount of batteries, please consider using a battery take back point. Visit the wastewizard  to find your nearest collection point.
  • Please do not place batteries out in strong winds or exceptionally hot weather.

Batteries FAQ’s

Our vehicle may have reached capacity, in this instance, please re-present on your next scheduled food waste collection day.

Check that you have only put the correct batteries listed above out for collection in a clear bag so collection staff can see the contents. 

Please do not put vapes or batteries inside your food waste bin. They should be placed on the lid.

Batteries and vapes should not be mixed in the same bag. If you have followed the guidance above, and your batteries have not been collected, please take them back in and re-present on your next food waste collection day.

Batteries are sorted into their different types by specialist sorting facilities. The materials and chemicals are extracted using ‘pyrolysis’ (heating at very high temperatures). Once recovered the materials can then be reused in other things, like electronics, more batteries.

Batteries must never be put in household bins. When waste or recycling is collected, any batteries are likely to be squashed, compacted, punctured, shredded or soaked in liquids. All these processes increase the risk of fire or explosion, which threatens the safety of waste management staff and members of the public. Exploded batteries have caused fires in our waste collection vehicles.

We have limited capacity on collection vehicles, therefore we can only collect batteries up to D cell in size and only 10 batteries per household, each week.  If you have larger batteries, visit the waste wizard to find out your nearest take back point. 

We have limited capacity on the vehicle, so if you have more than 10 batteries, consider either dropping larger quantities to your nearest local take back point, or placing 10 batteries out over a number of weeks