Be Battery Safe

Safe handling today. Proper disposal tomorrow.

Be Battery Safe at Home

Batteries are an everyday essential item that, if not disposed of correctly, can also be a hidden household hazard.

Some batteries can catch fire or explode if improperly installed, charged, stored, used, or disposed of.

Get to Know Your Rechargeable Batteries

Properly manage your rechargeable batteries by following the manufacturer’s instructions for charging, use, and storage. The most common rechargeable battery is lithium ion.

How to Use Your Rechargeable Batteries

Because lithium-ion batteries combine a flammable electrolyte with a significant amount of stored energy, thermal runaway reactions are possible. Thermal runaway is a chain reaction where the heat released from the failure of one cell damages nearby cells. Follow the tips below to reduce the risk of rechargeable battery fires during charging, use, and storage:

Use only the original charger that came with the battery.
Charge in a battery safe area away from heat or flammable material.
Charge within the specified temperature range on a hard flat surface.
Don’t overcharge a battery. Unplug or remove the charging battery when it is done.
Inspect battery for damage (cracks, bulging, odor, etc.) and do NOT charge if damage is present. If you battery is doing any of those things please call your local emergency response at 911 and they will help you isolate the battery emergency.

High Energy Battery Safety

High energy batteries are batteries commonly used to power outdoor equipment like lawn mowers, snow blowers, leaf blowers, and chainsaws that can run for extended amounts of time. Due to the greater amount of energy in these types of rechargeable batteries, handle, store, and charge these types of batteries carefully and cautiously. Follow these tips:

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for charging, storing and handling your high energy battery.
Only use the original equipment manufacturer’s charger to charge your high energy battery.
Charge your high energy battery plugged directly into a wall outlet. Never use charging strips or extension cords.
Never charge a high energy battery unattended or overnight. Never leave it plugged in when it is not charging.
Avoid charging or storing your high energy battery in extreme temperatures.
Handle your high energy battery with care — do not drop or submerge in water.
Do not modify or attempt to repair your high energy battery.

Battery Safe Disposal

Rechargeable batteries never belong in your home garbage or recycling bins. Disposal in these bins increases the risk of fire and can put garbage and recycling haulers and equipment in unsafe situations.

Most batteries and devices can be properly recycled at major retailers (e.g., Staples, Lowe’s, Best Buy, The Home Depot). For a full list of battery or electronic recycling visit the City of Lincoln’s What Bin Does It Go In tool.

Four Easy Steps To Dispose of Batteries Safely

Collect and sort your batteries by type. (e.g., lithium-ion, alkaline)

If you see battery acid, put on disposable gloves to avoid any possible contact with powder or acid that can burn your skin. Battery ID Guide - The Battery Network
Tape the terminals or sides of each battery. (e.g. button batteries, lithium-ion batteries, alkaline)

Even if a battery is dead, it can create heat when two ends touch. Taping the ends or individually bagging batteries reduces the risk of fire when your batteries touch.
Store batteries properly.

Keep batteries in a container or box that allows air to escape. This helps prevent batteries from giving off gases inside your home.
Smoking, bulging or damaged batteries:

Move batteries outside and away from your home. Dial 911 for emergency services and identify that you have a battery actively smoking.

Protect Resources, People, and the Environment

Batteries contain metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, nickel, silver, lithium, and cobalt. Some of these are valuable resources that can be reused.
If not handled properly, these metals can harm human health, safety, and the environment.
Throwing batteries away prevents recovery of critical minerals like lithium and cobalt.
Recycling batteries at a proper disposal location keeps potentially harmful and valuable metals out of landfills and reduces fire risks, especially from lithium batteries.
These metals can be recovered and turned into new products.

Battery Safe Resources

There is a lot to learn about batteries. Below you can find out additional information about batteries so you can increase your knowledge about the types and kinds of batteries that exist in the world.

Embedded Batteries

Embedded batteries that are not made to be easily removed from a product. Do not attempt to remove embedded batteries. Use the What Bin Does It Go In tool to see if there is a way to manage the entire item and battery.

Rechargeable Batteries

Rechargeable batteries are batteries that can be charged, discharged, and reused many times through. Rechargeable batteries should not be disposed of in your garbage or recycling bins. Take rechargeable batteries to a battery disposal location to properly and safely get rid of.

Rechargeable batteries can cause fires in a variety of ways. Fires can occur when physical damage like crushing or exposure to water; electrical damage from improper charging equipment or over charging; product defects; or extreme temperatures happen. Battery fires can happen in garbage trucks or bins, recycling trucks, at landfills, and recycling processing centers. These fires can put workers and firefighters at risk. To find your nearest battery disposal location, go to What Bin Does It Go In.

Battery fires can happen anywhere. A 2021 study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that, between 2013 and 2020, at least 245 fires at 64 solid waste facilities were caused or likely caused by rechargeable lithium metal or lithium-ion batteries.

Rechargeable batteries can be found in:

Power tools
Vapes
Electronics (phones, tablets, laptops, etc.)
Items that need plugged in to charge.
Toys
Electric bikes and scooters
Small and large appliances
Lawn care equipment
Watches (including smart watches)
Medical Devices (thermometers and blood sugar monitors)
Calculators
Laser pointer
Portable power banks

Single-Use Batteries

When single-use batteries run out of energy or stop charging, they must be replaced.

The most common types of single-use batteries are alkaline and zinc-carbon, which can be safely discarded in household garbage. However, the best way to prevent environmental damage and ensure these valuable resources can be reused is to take them to a battery disposal location. Not all single-use batteries are alkaline or zinc-carbon.

Single-use batteries can also be made of lithium. Single-use lithium batteries may be found in:

Hearing aids
Watches
Flameless candles
Keyless vehicle entry remotes
Calculators
Medical devices
Toys
Scales
thermometers

The best practice for removeable, single-use batteries is to treat them as a rechargeable battery for disposal, unless you can verify that it is an alkaline or zinc-carbon battery.

Button and Coin Batteries

Be aware of button or coin batteries. Button batteries are commonly found in toys. Due to their small size, can be harmful or deadly to children if swallowed or placed in the nose or ears.

Learn more about how to keep children safe around button batteries: What Parents Need to Know about Button Batteries and Lithium Coin Batteries (American Academy of Pediatrics) Button Batteries Extremely Dangerous for Kids (National Safety Council)

The best disposal practice for removeable, single-use batteries is to treat them as a rechargeable battery. Take them to a battery disposal location. Not all single-use batteries are alkaline or zinc-carbon.