Dispose old batteries by post?

[FulhamTilly]

My Dear Niece (DN) came to visit yesterday. She normally comes every week on the train after school (6th form) and we have cake and tea, she particularly likes Victoria sponge cake, so I normally make one on Sunday, but she only has one slice, so it means I have to scoff the rest before it goes off! LOL. Anyway, she has become increasingly environmentally conscious over the last few years, as she has got older (she is going to university in September). The school she attends is very (I mean VERY) up-to-date on this stuff.

She was wondering what the best way to dispose of used batteries is (AA batteries, old laptop batteries etc.) as her council do not collect batteries with household waste. She said that because her Mum (my Dear Sister) and Dad have their groceries delivered, there is rarely an opportunity to dispose of old batteries at the supermarket etc. where they might collect. She said that her Dad had recently disposed of a Dyson battery vacuum in the household waste which she was quite upset about (environment, slavery etc.)! She also thinks this might be ILLEGAL 👮!

It got me thinking... what is the easiest way, for an environmentally conscious individual to dispose of old/used batteries with minimal personal hassle? Is it possible to post the old batteries somewhere to be recycled? I would rather pay £1-2 pounds for postage, that I can print from my computer, than spend 20 minutes, there and back, walking to the local supermarket/shop. I could just drop the old batteries in a post box (end of street) in that case.

So, how do you dispose of old batteries? Do you bother at all?

Carry the extremely heavy batteries around in your bag and dispose when you eventually come across a shop that can dispose of them. Make sure you do this often as those batteries will take its toll if you leave it years for them to pile up. I hope that you come across a shop on the next month or so.

Or do like me and glue them one on top of each other so you can make things out of them like you would with Lego. I already have a tower of Pisa, lake Garda, Golden Gate Bridge and currently working on the sphinx

Most couriers refuse to carry batteries and those who do insist on parcels being labelled as such, all due to risk of fire etc.

I take mine to the supermarket. Can't she just go to the supermarket herself and take them? Alternatively John Lewis accept batteries for disposal and I think Curry's might too. Or can she or her parents go to the local household waste and recycling centre? I'm not sure if it's allowed to send used unpackaged batteries in the UK mail.

Surely just pop into a supermarket on the way to/from work/school for smaller batteries? Not any harder than going to a post box.

If you check your local council’s website they should say where to dispose of bigger batteries/electrical items - at mine they go to a particular place at the local tip/recycling center, not in wheelie bins.

While this is Australia, Aldi take batteries. Staples? The local library - realise this is LA but you never know.

There are so many places that take batteries, you just need to find one and make a trip once a year.

I bag mine up and wait until I visit a supermarket. You can't throw them in the wheelie bins as its too dangerous and can cause fires/explosions so I assume it will be similar for post.

Where are you approximately, different councils have different rules.

Actually if its mainly AA batteries cant she use rechargeable ones?

For larger electrical items/batteries our local council has a recycling centre. We make a collection of items (electrical, paint tins, hard plastics, broken crockery, wood etc) then drop them all off after several months.
For smaller batteries they collect kerbside or we take them and drop them off in one of the numerous tires that collect them.

Most supermarket and electrical retailers have a battery bank. Your local Council buildings (swimming pool, library etc) might do too. Folk on your local neighbour Facebook page can probably tell you where you can take them locally.
Don't post them. As PP mentioned there is a massive fire risk. Alternatively, take them to the tip.

Supermarkets have battery recycling

Every shop that sells small household type batteries has to take them in for recycling. You may find the recycling bin inside the shop at the end of the aisle near where they sell batteries or behind the till area- in which case just hand them over to a store employee.

many other places have recycling bins for small batteries such as hearing sellers, some schools, hotels etc. so always worth asking on the chance that they may accept them from you.

large batteries for cars/boats etc can be weighed in for cash at a scrapyard dealer. Often people will collect them for free as the trade in is good, especially if you collect and hand in several.

The battery's label or packaging helps to identify the battery type. Then, to determine which batteries are acceptable for landfill and which batteries need to be recycled or sent to a waste facility.

For old single-use batteries, they might come in many sizes like AA, AAA, 9V, C or D cell. For example, individual NiMH batteries can be discarded with other household waste in small quantities. However, with 10 or more batteries, the better way is taking the batteries to a neighborhood drop-off bin for recycling.

As for old rechargeable batteries, such as rechargeable 18650 Li-ion batteries, they shouldn't be thrown in the trash can. Because these type of batteries contain heavy metals that can be hazardous to the environment. And they should be recycled in your local recycling facility that will accept these batteries.

Any shop which sells batteries must take them back, so even little corner shops will take them. Every supermarket does.

No need to involve couriers, unless you never ever pass shops. You don't need to buy anything, just bung them in the receptacle

If it is any help, I noticed a box in my local Primark that they had a box for used batteries (household use only).

Even our tiny Co op and Sainsbury's Local have battery recycling. Surely she can get to one supermarket near her?

I throw them in the bin. And this is the fault of my local council.

They are supposed to collect them when they are left out for recycling. I have bagged them in clear bags as instructed, as have my neighbours. The council are definitely supposed to take them. However, when they come, they are in a hurry and either leave them or chuck/drop them on the floor where they can be consumed by a dog/other animal. Or they drop them in the road where they get driven over and all the chemicals come out. They don't ever bother taking them so I put them in the bin. They end up incinerated - that's what happens to all our non recyclable waste.

There is no way I'm carrying batteries around as a pp suggested. They are dangerous to small children and pets. I don't go to the supermarket anyway - well, maybe once a month.

That said, I almost never use batteries so this isn't often a problem.

Oh and posting batteries isn't allowed.

Disposing of used batteries in the post could put postal workers at risk or cause a fire in a post box when the batteries short.

Even though batteries are flat, they still contain some acids and posting them could cause a sudden release of power or a spark to be released......in other words a 'short'.

I just go to a supermarket and dispose of them there. I understand this is not convenient due to online food shopping and having food delivered but its better than a fire.

Small ones I pop into my purse and then when I’m out shopping I spot them and drop them into the nearest shop that takes them.