Batteries recycling

Before putting batteries out for collection:

• store in a cool, dry place and out of direct sunlight
• do not store leaking or damaged batteries
• cover the contacts on laptop/mobile phone batteries and button batteries with tape and remove trailing wires – this reduces the risk of short circuiting

Please put your batteries in a clear plastic bag and place it on top of your black bin. If you live in a house with no front garden and put bags out for collection, put your batteries in a clear plastic bag on top of one of your black bags so the crew can see it.

Batteries will be collected every week with your scheduled rubbish collection.

If you live in a block of flats with shared bins, please take your batteries to local shops, supermarkets, or the Portsmouth Household Waste Recycling Centre.

The following batteries can be recycled through this service:

• 6V
• 9V
• AA
• AAA
• C
• D
• button cell
• vape batteries
• hearing aid batteries
• rechargeable batteries
• mobile phone batteries
• laptop batteries (with the terminals taped)
• power tool batteries

For batteries that cannot be removed safely from the device, recycle the whole device with the battery as an electrical item.

Batteries we cannot accept

• batteries with trailing wires
• children’s ride on toy batteries
• corroded batteries
• motorbike or car batteries
• industrial batteries
• sealed lead acid or gel batteries
• 12V leisure batteries
• non-household batteries

After your batteries are picked up from the kerbside, they are put in a special container at the waste collection depot.

When the container is full, the batteries are taken and treated through the Valpak compliance scheme by Approved Batteries Treatment Operators.

The batteries are then sorted into different types (like lithium-ion, zinc, or nickel cadmium) so that the most material can be reused to make new products.

There are many ways to recycle batteries, but the goal is always the same – to get the raw materials from the battery so they can be used again for something new.

There are different ways to prevent battery waste, including:

• use rechargeable batteries wherever possible
• use electrical equipment you can charge through a USB connection
• try to buy appliances that use renewable energy – a wind-up radio or torch, dynamo bicycle lights, or a solar powered calculator