How to Dispose of Lithium-Ion Batteries Safely: Swollen, Damaged, and Used Batteries

• Never put lithium-ion batteries or devices containing them in household garbage or curbside recycling.
• Tape the terminals or bag an intact removable battery separately, but do not place swollen or damaged batteries in ordinary collection boxes.
• For a swollen, hot, leaking, smoking, or recalled battery, stop using it and contact the manufacturer, local household hazardous-waste program, or emergency services when there is an immediate fire risk.

The short answer: keep lithium-ion batteries out of both bins

Used lithium-ion batteries belong at a specialized battery drop-off site, electronics recycler, or household hazardous-waste facility—not in your household trash and not in curbside recycling. That includes batteries in phones, laptops, power banks, cordless tools, e-bikes, scooters, cameras, tablets, toys, and other rechargeable products.

The reason is practical: a battery that still holds a charge can be crushed, punctured, or short-circuited during collection and sorting. That can start a fire in a garbage truck, recycling facility, or landfill. The recycling symbol on a battery does not mean it belongs in your blue bin. It means the battery should go through a specialized recycling program.

The most important distinction is whether the battery is intact and used or swollen, damaged, leaking, hot, recalled, or otherwise unsafe. Those batteries need different handling.

What to do with an intact, used lithium-ion battery

If the battery is flat, cool, dry, and not visibly damaged, follow these steps:

1. Stop charging and remove the battery only if the product is designed for safe, user removal.
2. Cover exposed terminals with non-metallic electrical tape, or place the battery by itself in a clear plastic bag.
3. Keep it away from keys, coins, tools, loose batteries, heat, and flammable materials.
4. Use a battery-recycling or household-hazardous-waste location that specifically accepts lithium-ion batteries.

Do not tape over labels or safety information if the collection program needs to identify the battery. Do not put several loose batteries together in a drawer, box, or shopping bag where their terminals can touch.

If the battery is built into a phone, laptop, tablet, toothbrush, vacuum, or other device, do not pry it out unless the manufacturer specifically designed that step for consumers. Take the complete device to an electronics-recycling or hazardous-waste program that accepts products with rechargeable batteries.

How to handle a swollen or damaged battery

Swelling usually means the battery has been damaged internally. Other warning signs include a dented case, torn wrapper, unusual odor, hissing, leaking fluid, excessive heat, smoke, or a battery that no longer fits correctly in its compartment.

Do not use, charge, squeeze, puncture, bend, dismantle, or place a swollen battery in a normal battery-recycling box. Do not try to flatten it or force it out of a device. A swollen phone, laptop, or power bank should be treated as a damaged battery even if it still appears to work.

If there is no immediate sign of fire, move people and pets away from the area and keep the battery or device away from curtains, paper, gasoline, furniture, and other flammable materials. Avoid unnecessary handling. Contact the product manufacturer, the retailer, or your local household-hazardous-waste program for specific instructions before transporting it.

EPA guidance says a damaged device may be temporarily kept in a safe location, such as a container with a fire-suppressing material like sand or kitty litter, when there is no imminent fire threat. Local authorities or the manufacturer may give different instructions, so follow the direction that applies to your battery and location.

If the battery is hot, smoking, hissing, sparking, leaking, or on fire, do not pick it up or carry it outside. Leave the area, close doors if you can do so safely, and call 911 or your local emergency number. Tell responders that a lithium-ion battery is involved.

Find the right drop-off option

For an intact removable battery, use a program that lists lithium-ion or rechargeable batteries as an accepted material. Call ahead or check the current listing because participating locations may accept only certain sizes, brands, or battery types.

In the United States, The Battery Network locator lets you search by ZIP code and select rechargeable, e-bike, or high-energy battery categories. Its standard collection boxes are not for damaged or defective batteries, although some states have trained locations with additional capabilities.

Find a U.S. battery drop-off location through The Battery Network locator

In Canada, Recycle Your Batteries, Canada! provides a province-aware drop-off search through Call2Recycle. For a swollen, leaking, or otherwise damaged battery, contact the location or your municipality first rather than assuming the public collection box can accept it.

Find a Canadian battery drop-off location through Recycle Your Batteries, Canada!

EPA also recommends contacting your local solid-waste authority or household-hazardous-waste program. Local rules can be stricter than general national guidance, and some municipalities operate special collection events or permanent depots.

United States and Canada: what differs

Common mistakes to avoid

• Putting it in the curbside recycling bin: sorting equipment can crush or damage the battery.
• Putting it in the trash: compactors and collection trucks can trigger a fire.
• Leaving it at a random retail counter: not every store accepts lithium-ion batteries, and ordinary boxes may reject damaged ones.
• Removing an embedded battery: prying into a sealed device can puncture the cell.
• Mailing it without approval: lithium batteries have transportation rules, especially when damaged or recalled. Ask the manufacturer or disposal program for an approved method.
• Assuming every lithium battery is the same: a small power-bank cell, an e-bike pack, and an electric-vehicle battery may require completely different programs.

A simple decision rule

If it is intact and removable, isolate the terminals and take it to a confirmed battery-recycling location. If it is embedded, leave it in the device and use an electronics or hazardous-waste program. If it is swollen, damaged, hot, leaking, smoking, or recalled, do not place it in a standard collection box—contact the manufacturer or local hazardous-waste authority first. If there is smoke, fire, or immediate danger, leave the area and call 911.

Helpful Links

• Frequent Questions on Lithium-Ion Batteries – U.S. EPA guidance on disposal, terminal protection, swollen batteries, storage, and household recycling.
• Used Lithium-Ion Batteries – U.S. EPA disposal options for batteries in electronics, power tools, and larger systems.
• Lithium-Ion Battery Safety – Health Canada guidance on damaged batteries, storage, larger battery systems, and disposal.
• The Battery Network Drop-Off Locator – Search U.S. battery drop-off locations by ZIP code and battery type.
• Recycle Your Batteries, Canada! – Find Canadian battery collection locations and review accepted battery categories.
• Links to Hazardous Waste Programs and U.S. State Environmental Agencies – Official page referenced in the article.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I put a completely dead lithium-ion battery in the trash?

A. No. A battery can retain enough energy to spark even when it no longer powers a device. Treat used lithium-ion batteries as rechargeable battery waste and take them to a confirmed battery-recycling or household-hazardous-waste location.

Q. Should I put a swollen battery in sand or kitty litter?

A. Only use temporary storage guidance from your manufacturer, local hazardous-waste authority, or emergency officials. EPA describes sand or kitty litter as a possible fire-suppressing material when there is no imminent fire threat, but a swollen battery should not be handled unnecessarily or taken to an ordinary collection box.

Q. Can I remove the battery from a swollen laptop or phone?

A. Not unless the product is specifically designed for safe consumer removal. Opening or prying into a sealed device can puncture the battery. Contact the manufacturer, retailer, or local hazardous-waste program for instructions.

Q. Can I recycle an e-bike or scooter battery with small household batteries?

A. Not automatically. E-bike and scooter batteries are larger high-energy batteries, and programs may have separate limits, packaging, or participating locations. Contact the manufacturer, dealer, municipality, or a program that specifically lists e-mobility batteries.