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AIBU?

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Original poster

To have thrown a bunch of smashed up old mobile phones in the bin

460 replies

Pavementworrier · 11/01/2026 18:45

Sims removed but otherwise just as they were

I'd been keeping of them to "destroy securely" but they're driving me insane around the house so enough was enough

Will I get digitally kidnapped now? They were really old and shit phones.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
16
L0bstersLass · 11/01/2026 20:10

ClairDeLaLune · 11/01/2026 20:06

Blimey OP you’re coming across as a tad dim here! Why would you not recycle them?

You're very polite. She's coming across as thick as mince and ignorant as hell.

TY78910 · 11/01/2026 20:10

user665178392470 · 11/01/2026 20:05

We can put batteries and small electrical devices on the top of our wheelie bins on bin day.

I love this but where I live and the winds recently they would end up all over the neighbourhood 😂 I’m scared to wheel the bins out as it is

xyzandabc · 11/01/2026 20:09

user665178392470 · 11/01/2026 20:05

We can put batteries and small electrical devices on the top of our wheelie bins on bin day.

We can too (South Oxfordshire) but I always forget, easier just to take them to work !

L0bstersLass · 11/01/2026 20:09

Anyahyacinth · 11/01/2026 20:07

Oo what area does this?

Show quote history

We can too. In north Wales.

SouthernNights59 · 11/01/2026 20:08

Pavementworrier · 11/01/2026 19:25

I just don't believe most people recycle this stuff

Maybe this thread should be titled aibu to think nobody recycles batteries

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At both my last workplaces there was a container to put batteries in so they could be recycled. Now that I'm retired I take my batteries to a recycling container at a local supermarket. Lithium batteries are especially dangerous if just thrown in a bin. How can anyone not be aware of this??

xyzandabc · 11/01/2026 20:08

Since 2010 it's been a legal requirement for any retailer that sells more than 32kg of portable batteries per year to have a battery recycling point.

I find it hard to believe you have gone 16 years without ever seeing a battery recycling bin. They are in supermarkets, newsagents, DIY stores, libraries, literally everywhere that sells batteries has to have one. Many workplaces have then too.
They have made it as convenient as possible for you to do. You don't need to go out of your way to take them to a tip. Just hang on to then until you have a few, then take them the next time you go to a shop.
Please don't put batteries in the bin.

Anyahyacinth · 11/01/2026 20:07

user665178392470 · 11/01/2026 20:05

We can put batteries and small electrical devices on the top of our wheelie bins on bin day.

Oo what area does this?

Anyahyacinth · 11/01/2026 20:06

Simple search:

Lithium battery fires in the UK are a rapidly growing danger, with UK fire brigades responding to over three incidents daily, primarily involving e-bikes and e-scooters, causing fatalities and serious injuries. These fires are fierce, fast-spreading, and release toxic fumes, often linked to damaged batteries, incompatible chargers, or faulty/counterfeit products bought online, especially when charging indoors or near escape routes. Key safety advice includes using manufacturer-approved chargers, unplugging devices, avoiding charging overnight or on flammable surfaces, and disposing of old batteries correctly.

Anyone who thinks recycling isn’t for them must want higher taxes 🤷‍♀️ fire brigade, clean ups, unnecessary ill health and more...

ClairDeLaLune · 11/01/2026 20:06

Blimey OP you’re coming across as a tad dim here! Why would you not recycle them?

user665178392470 · 11/01/2026 20:05

We can put batteries and small electrical devices on the top of our wheelie bins on bin day.

Arlanymor · 11/01/2026 20:05

Pavementworrier · 11/01/2026 20:04

Google isn't a terribly reliable legal research tool.

Anyway I posted this thread genuinely expecting critique to centre around the folly of chucking out items that contain sensitive personal data not as an anti recycling provocateuse move

Every day is a school day as they say

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Says the legal advisor to a local authority that didn't know about a law that came in three decades ago, which the average person on the street DOES know about.

SabrinaThwaite · 11/01/2026 20:05

Pavementworrier · 11/01/2026 19:49

Please identify the legal power to issue this mythical fine. Thx.

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Batteries are hazardous waste, as well as being recyclable.

Here’s a link to Blaenau Gwent council that will fine you.

https://www.blaenau-gwent.gov.uk/en/resident/waste-recycling/recycling/what-happens-if-you-dont-recycle/

The Authority can issue fixed penalty notices to households that continue to place recyclable items into their black bins and bags. This means the resident must pay a fixed penalty of £100 or appear in court.

Left · 11/01/2026 20:04

Information on fines here. Varies by Council.

www.gov.uk/guidance/household-waste-bins-when-and-how-councils-may-issue-fixed-penalties

Original poster
Pavementworrier · 11/01/2026 20:04

Alltheyellowbirds · 11/01/2026 20:02

Do you not know how to Google?

Show quote history

Google isn't a terribly reliable legal research tool.

Anyway I posted this thread genuinely expecting critique to centre around the folly of chucking out items that contain sensitive personal data not as an anti recycling provocateuse move

Every day is a school day as they say

OP posts:
Alltheyellowbirds · 11/01/2026 20:02

Pavementworrier · 11/01/2026 19:59

Please quote all

Show quote history

Do you not know how to Google?

Arlanymor · 11/01/2026 20:02

donaldtrumponlyhasonedancemove · 11/01/2026 20:00

Can we recycle @Pavementworrier into something useful or is she destined for landfill

😂😂😂😂😂

Arlanymor · 11/01/2026 20:02

Pavementworrier · 11/01/2026 20:00

Specifically the fining provision

Here's the law that you could have found for yourself but at being deliberately argumentative and obtuse: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/890/contents

And.... IT IS YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITY that issues fines.

Alltheyellowbirds · 11/01/2026 20:01

Pavementworrier · 11/01/2026 19:52

I guess where I live I'm well aware that very few people have the time or energy to be sorting their bins in any particular detail so there will be batteries (and foil??) in general waste and this must be something local authorities adjust for.

Maybe my data will be stolen by the local authority death battery checker as karma.

Edited

Where do live that no-one has time to recycle? Why do you think that you and your neighbours are so special and important that the council should have to “adjust for” it?

You are coming across as a pretty nasty human being. If you’d said “oh god, I didn’t know, I’m mortified!” that would have been one thing, but you’re just doubling down.

gamerchick · 11/01/2026 20:00

colourchanginglipstick · 11/01/2026 19:56

I wouldn't have know about batteries either tbh if it wasn't for my husband telling me. I don't set foot inside supermarkets/stores etc and do all my shopping online so haven't seen the bins. How do you dispose of them if you don't live near a store that takes them?

You or your husband don't go near any supermarket or work in an office that has the bins?

Store them and make a special trip?

donaldtrumponlyhasonedancemove · 11/01/2026 20:00

Can we recycle @Pavementworrier into something useful or is she destined for landfill

KateShugakIsALegend · 11/01/2026 20:00

gamerchick · 11/01/2026 19:52

Ah wait, this poster makes a point of making waves. Should have checked.

Thanks

Arlanymor · 11/01/2026 20:00

BrendaSmall · 11/01/2026 19:58

Where do you recycle batteries to?

Never heard of doing that where I live!

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Look on your local authority website which tells you how to dispose of all of the elements of your household waste. The law came in at the beginning of the 1990s, it's not new.

Anyahyacinth · 11/01/2026 20:00

Recycling batteries is crucial to prevent hazardous heavy metals (like lead, mercury, cadmium) from polluting soil and water, protects human and wildlife health, conserves valuable, finite resources (lithium, cobalt, nickel) for reuse in new products, reduces energy and environmental impact from mining, and lessens fire risks in waste facilities, all while supporting circular economies for sustainable energy.

Those poisons get into the water we drink / food we eat....but no worries eh?

Original poster
Pavementworrier · 11/01/2026 20:00

Specifically the fining provision

OP posts:
Original poster
Pavementworrier · 11/01/2026 19:59

L0bstersLass · 11/01/2026 19:58

@Pavementworrier Which nation of the UK do you live in. Each nation has its own develved legislation. I'd hate to quote the wrong one.

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Please quote all

OP posts: