Battery recycling near me: where to take them and why it matters
Any shop selling more than 32 kg of portable batteries a year has to take your old ones back, free, whether or not you buy anything. That is the law, not a courtesy, and it is why there is a collection box near most supermarket tills.
Battery recycling: key facts
| Shops that must take batteries back | Any supplying more than 32 kg of portable batteries to end users in a year |
|---|---|
| What they may charge | Nothing, and they cannot require you to buy a new battery |
| Three categories | Portable, industrial, automotive |
| Recycling efficiency targets | Lead-acid 65%, nickel-cadmium 75%, other batteries 50%, by average weight |
| UK waste fires from lithium-ion | An estimated 201 a year, about 48% of all UK waste fires, costing £158 million a year |
| Who bears that cost | About 90% falls on waste operators |
The 32 kg rule
Under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, a distributor supplying more than 32 kg of portable batteries a year must take back waste portable batteries at no charge, tell customers at the point of sale that they can, and must not simply throw away what comes back. They cannot make you buy a replacement to use the service. Only genuinely small sellers, under that 32 kg threshold, are exempt.
In practice that covers supermarkets, most larger convenience stores, electrical retailers and hardware shops. It is the densest free collection network in the country, and most people walk past it weekly.
The three categories, and why they matter
- Portable: sealed, and light enough to be hand carried without difficulty. AA, AAA, button cells, power tool packs, phone and laptop batteries.
- Industrial: designed for professional use, or powering an electric or hybrid vehicle, or unsealed but not automotive, or sealed but not portable. Forklift traction packs, UPS banks, EV packs.
- Automotive: used for starting or ignition in a road vehicle engine, or for vehicle lighting. The familiar lead-acid car battery.
The categories decide who has to collect them. Producers of automotive and industrial batteries must provide free collection from end users, so a garage or a plant room with a pallet of old batteries has a route that does not involve the local tip.
Lead-acid batteries are hazardous waste
A lead-acid vehicle battery carries waste code 16 06 01*, with the asterisk denoting hazardous status. It cannot be treated as ordinary scrap. Environment Agency guidance requires secure, leak-proof containers with an impermeable, acid resistant base, kept closed or covered so rainwater does not collect, stored away from other waste, with records kept for two years.
Recycled properly, a lead-acid battery goes to a metal smelter with a minimum recycling efficiency of 65% by average weight, and the polypropylene from the case can be recycled once the other plastics are separated out.
Why loose batteries start fires
This is the part worth taking seriously. A lithium-ion cell that is crushed or punctured can go into thermal runaway, and waste handling crushes things by design. Research for the Environmental Services Association in 2021 estimated 201 waste fires a year in the UK caused by lithium-ion batteries, around 48% of all UK waste fires, costing £158 million annually, nearly 90% of which falls on waste operators.
The figures have since got worse rather than better. The ESA reported more than 1,200 incidents in 2023/24, a 71% increase on the previous year, and the National Fire Chiefs Council says lithium-ion batteries now cause close to half of all UK waste fires.
Vapes, phone batteries, power banks and toothbrush heads are the common offenders, because they do not look like batteries. They should not go in a household or commercial bin. They should go in a battery collection box.
Finding a route for a business quantity
A collection box at a till is fine for a drawer of AAs. A garage, workshop, hotel or facilities team with a pallet of batteries needs a licensed carrier instead. Our directory lets you search by postcode and material, including batteries, with phone numbers and websites where we have them.
Batteries are only one part of the picture for a garage or workshop, and the metal that comes with them is usually worth more. Our guide to metal recycling covers what happens to it.
Frequently asked questions
Which shops have to take back used batteries?
Any that supply more than 32 kg of portable batteries to end users in a year. They must take them free of charge, cannot require you to buy a new battery, and must tell customers the service exists.
Can I put batteries in my household bin?
You should not. A crushed lithium-ion cell can go into thermal runaway, and lithium-ion batteries are now estimated to cause close to half of all UK waste fires. Use a battery collection box instead.
Are car batteries hazardous waste?
Yes. Lead-acid batteries carry waste code 16 06 01*, where the asterisk denotes hazardous status. They must be stored in leak-proof, acid resistant containers and taken to a site permitted for them.
Where do I take a pallet of batteries from a business?
To a licensed carrier rather than a shop collection box. Producers of automotive and industrial batteries must also provide free collection from end users, so ask your supplier first.
What happens to a recycled battery?
It is processed to recover the metals, with minimum recycling efficiency targets of 65% by average weight for lead-acid, 75% for nickel-cadmium and 50% for other batteries.
Sources
- Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, regulation 31, take back by distributors
- Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, Schedule 4, recycling efficiencies
- Regulations: batteries and waste batteries, GOV.UK
- Cutting Lithium-ion Battery Fires in the Waste Industry, Eunomia for the Environmental Services Association, January 2021
- Storing lead-acid batteries, cable and gas cylinders at HWRCs: RPS 308, Environment Agency