Battery recycling and collection

Make the battery last before you recycle it

The best waste battery is the one that does not arise yet. Charge with the charger meant for the device and unplug it when charging ends. Store batteries dry, at room temperature and partly charged rather than flat, away from heat and damp.

When a device stops working, check whether only the battery needs changing — replacing the battery instead of the whole device is what these products are for. A battery that still holds charge can be re-used in another device of the same type, and packs that no longer serve their first purpose can often be repaired, refurbished or repurposed by a specialised operator. Never re-use a battery that is swollen, damaged or leaking; take it to a collection point.

Why used batteries must not go in household waste

Batteries contain metals and electrolytes that harm the environment and human health when they end up in general waste: they corrode and release their contents into soil and water, and a damaged lithium cell can start a fire in a refuse truck or a sorting hall.

Law across Europe requires waste batteries to be collected separately. Handing them in is the step that makes every following one possible — nothing left in the general bin can be treated or recycled.

Handle used batteries safely

• Tape the terminals of used lithium and button cells, or bag each cell on its own. Loose cells short-circuit against coins, keys and each other.
• Never crush, pierce, cut, open or burn a battery. Lithium cells can vent, ignite or burst when damaged or overheated, and such a fire can restart by itself.
• Do not recharge a cell that is not marked as rechargeable, and do not put batteries in water.
• A swollen, hot, leaking or damaged battery must not go back into a device. Put it in a non-flammable container away from anything that burns, do not carry it in a pocket, and hand it in soon — say at the desk that it is damaged.
• If electrolyte reaches skin or eyes, rinse with plenty of water and seek medical advice.
• Keep batteries away from children. A swallowed button cell is a medical emergency: call the emergency number at once.

Where to return them

Waste batteries are taken back free of charge and you do not have to buy anything to hand them in. Collection points are shops that sell batteries, supermarkets, municipal collection yards and civic amenity sites; distributors must take back waste portable batteries at their point of sale.

What is collected is sorted, discharged, dismantled and recycled, and metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper and lead go back into production. Batteries still fit for service can be prepared for re-use or repurposing instead. Find the collection system for your country below.

What the labels and symbols mean

The crossed-out wheeled bin on a battery, on its packaging or in the accompanying document means the battery must not be thrown away with household waste and must be handed over separately.

A chemical symbol under the bin names a metal the battery contains above the limit set by the regulation: Pb lead, Cd cadmium, Hg mercury.

Batteries also carry the capacity, the chemistry (for example Li-ion, Ni-MH or alkaline), the nominal voltage, the manufacturer, the model and the batch or serial number. From 18 February 2027 a QR code on the battery leads to the full set of data about it.

What is inside and why it matters

Depending on the type, a battery contains lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, copper, zinc, graphite and an organic or alkaline electrolyte; older and specialised types can contain lead, cadmium or mercury, which are hazardous substances.

Thrown in the street or in the general bin, these substances escape into soil, water and air. Heavy metals build up in the food chain and are toxic to the nervous system, the kidneys and reproduction; electrolytes are corrosive; damaged lithium cells put waste crews and treatment plants at risk of fire. Separate collection prevents all of it and returns the raw materials to use instead of mining new ones.