Battery recycling
Batteries are an essential part of our lives, from powering our smartphones to running electric vehicles. However, with our growing reliance on batteries comes an alarming increase in battery-related fires.
All batteries, particularly lithium-ion batteries, should never be disposed of in your kerbside red, yellow or green bins. They contain chemical substances that can be harmful to human health and the environment and are highly combustible.
Batteries not only have the potential to spark fires but also contain valuable heavy metals like lead, mercury and lithium, so binning them is a waste of these resources and a nasty environmental pollutant when incorrectly disposed.
Removable Batteries
Many products have removable batteries. When these are used, tape both ends of the battery terminals with clear sticky tape, store them in a safe location out of reach of children and then drop them off at your nearest collection point.
How to tape battery terminals:
Safe disposal and recycling of removable batteries
Household quantities of loose handheld (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, 6V), button cell batteries, and car batteries can be recycled at your local Community Recycling Centre.
Clarence Valley Waste and Recycling Centres
Embedded Batteries
An embedded battery is permanently built into a device and cannot be easily and/or safely removed, meaning they cannot be recycled separately. Products with embedded batteries can be difficult to dispose of or recycle due to their different components and materials.
Common items that may contain an embedded battery:
- Bluetooth speakers and headphones
- Electric toothbrushes
- E-scooters, e-bikes and hover boards
- Flashing/light up toys – particularly wands or other hard plastic products
- Personal care devices (e.g. shavers)
- Powerpacks and portable charging devices
- Remote controlled and ride-on toys
- Vacuum cleaners (cordless hand-held and robotic)
- Vapes
- Wearable devices such as smart watches, trackers and medical aids
Embedded Battery Recycling at Lismore, Ballina & Kyogle Community Recycling Centres
The NSW EPA has established a trial in partnership with Lismore City Council, Ballina Shire Council and Kyogle Council, to accept products with embedded (built-in) batteries.
Residents of the Clarence Valley local government area can drop off items containing embedded batteries at either of these three Community Recycling Centres:
If you have an unusual product, please contact the relevant centre ahead of arrival, to see if it can be accepted.
What products are not accepted as part of the Embedded Batteries Trial?
Products covered under the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS) should be directed to a Clarence Valley Council Recycling Facility.
This includes e-waste such as televisions, computers, printers, computer parts, and peripherals.
E-waste products containing an embedded battery, such as rechargeable gaming controllers and laptops, are also accepted as part of the NTCRS rather than through the trial.
Mobile phones and associated accessories should be directed to your nearest MobileMuster collection point.
Oversize items are not accepted. Contact us before presenting anything that is over 20 kg or bulky.
For more information on your local Community Recycling Centre, visit https://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/Residents/Waste-and-recycling/Waste-and-recycling-centres