Rechargeable Batteries Alternative ways to recycle Illegal in Garbage & Drains Household Hazardous Waste Battery Recycling Place unwanted household batteries in a clear plastic storage bag and place them on top of your recycle cart for collection. Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off is available twice a month by appointment only on Saturdays for household hazardous waste and/or universal waste. Acceptable items include over-the-counter and prescription medications, fluorescent light tubes, motor oil and used motor oil, antifreeze, paint, chemicals (pool and others), household cleaners, and pesticides. The majority of medications are accepted as household hazardous waste excluding controlled substances. Some items can be dropped off at the HHW Facility without an appointment and during hours of operation. These items include: sharps waste (syringes or lancets) properly packaged for safe disposal, (used) motor oil, filters and antifreeze. Proof of residency is required. To make an appointment to drop off your household hazardous waste on the next available Saturday at the Waste Management HHW Facility at 2880 Industry Street, please call Waste Management’s Customer Service line at (760) 439-2824. HHW must be dropped off by appointment – click for more info. Never Throw in the Garbage Batteries are banned from the garbage because they contain metals and other toxic and corrosive chemicals that can leach into the environment. All batteries, including sizes AAA, AA, C and D, need to be disposed of as hazardous waste. Alternative Ways to Recycle Lowe's Recycling Program Lowe’s accepts rechargeable batteries and CFLs at any of their store locations for free recycling. Find the nearest Lowe’s. The Office Depot Battery Recycling Program Office Depot allows consumers to bring their rechargeable batteries to any location for free recycling. Find the nearest Office Depot. Best Buy's Electronics and Appliances Recycling Program Best Buy will take back rechargeable batteries as well as the following: battery backups (UPS), button batteries, cellphone batteries and laptop batteries. They do not accept single-use, car or other wet cell batteries. Find out more about Best Buy’s recycling program. Recycle With Call2Recycle Call2Recycle is a no-cost recycling program with collection sites all across the United States and Canada. They have locations that accept devices containing lithium-ion batteries. Learn more about Call2Recycle. Cirba Solutions Battery Recycling Cirba Solutions offers mail-in battery recycling kits. Their programs aim to help people recycle their batteries properly and conveniently. Learn more about Cirba Solutions. The Big Green Box Battery Recycling Program The Big Green Box is a mail-in battery recycling program for both residences and businesses. Their system is simple: Order a box, fill it up with your used batteries and then ship it back to the company’s EPA-approved recycling center. Did You Know? Battery Explodes in Garbage Truck One battery recently caused an explosion in a UK garbage truck, starting a fire and contaminating over six tons of recycling. Because batteries contain chemicals that can ignite, it is important to dispose of them correctly, and not just toss them in with other trash or recycling. Battery Technology Innovations “A battery will do for the electricity supply chain what refrigeration did to our food supply chain,” said MIT electrochemist Donald Sadoway in a Grist article. Sadoway and his peers are developing new battery technology using materials such as molten metal and saltwater. The energy storage capacity of these technologies could lead to a new era for electric cars and the electricity grid.
