Battery Disposal Safety

To safely dispose of batteries with lithium or batteries of greater than 9 volts, put clear packing, masking or electrical tape on the batteries’ terminals or sandwich the batteries between two layers of tape (e.g. flat button cells). These batteries should be placed in a container separate from other batteries that don’t require being taped.

taped-9v-batteryIt is good practice to tape lithium-based batteries as well as batteries of greater than 9 volts so they don’t cause a fire while being transported to a recycling center. Most commonly used batteries – A, AAA, C, D and 6-volt – don’t need to be taped unless their packaging identifies them as lithium-based.

Lithium-based batteries are most commonly found in cell phones, digital cameras and laptops. Also, hearing aids, watches and key-less remotes typically involve button cells, containing lithium. Similarly, cordless power tools use battery packs that are greater than 9 volts and/or lithium-based.

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