Battery Replacement / Sheet 02
General information. The official places to check are B-cycle, your state’s environment agency and your council.
Sheet 02 · Out of the drawerRecycling old batteries
Most loose household batteries, from AA cells and button batteries to removable power tool packs, go to a drop-off point of B-cycle, the national battery stewardship scheme. Phone batteries, laptop batteries, car batteries and batteries built into devices each have their own route, and none of them belongs in a household bin.
What B-cycle is
B-cycle describes itself as Australia’s official battery recycling scheme. It is run by the Battery Stewardship Council and authorised by the ACCC. NSW’s environment agency calls it the national government-backed battery recycling scheme.
The scheme sets out how it works in a loop: importers pay a levy that funds it; retailers sell accredited battery brands; people leave used batteries at drop-off points; accredited collectors, sorters and recyclers earn rebates for their part; and the recovered materials go into new batteries and other products.
B-cycle says 90% of used batteries in Australia go to landfill, where toxic materials from them leak into the environment.
B-cycle’s drop-off map searches by postcode and battery type. In NSW, the EPA notes that loose batteries can be left at many supermarkets, hardware stores and electronics shops.
Which route is yours
Loose and easily removed
- AA, AAA, C, D, 9-volt, 6-volt and button batteries
- standard-size rechargeables of any chemistry, up to 5 kg
- batteries you can take out yourself, as from power tools and digital cameras
- e-bike and e-scooter batteries.
Their own collections
- Mobile phone batteries: MobileMuster, the telecommunications industry’s product stewardship program, accredited by the federal government.
- Laptop and computer batteries: the federal National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme, often collected as e-waste.
- Car batteries: see sheet 05.
Ask your council
B-cycle drop-off points do not take batteries from vapes, solar panels, home energy storage systems or caravans, or batteries built into devices. For those, B-cycle points you to your council or transfer station.
What NSW and Victoria ask
Two states as examples. Other states and territories have their own rules and drop-off services: check your state’s environment agency.
By size and by build
- Loose batteries under 5 kg fall under B-cycle.
- Large removable household batteries under 20 kg, such as from e-scooters, e-bikes, vacuum cleaners and large power tools, can go free to a Community Recycling Centre or a Household Chemical CleanOut event.
- Products with built-in batteries, such as electric toothbrushes, speakers and smart watches, are taken free at selected Community Recycling Centres; the EPA lists 34 of them.
Never in any bin
- It is illegal to put e-waste, which includes anything with a battery that no longer works, in any household or kerbside bin.
- Store used batteries at home until you can take them to a drop-off point: terminals taped, in a glass or plastic container that is not airtight, such as a jam jar or an ice cream tub without its lid.
- Your council’s website can point you to the nearest battery or electronics drop-off.
Damaged, swollen or leaking batteries
A battery that is badly damaged, swollen or bulging is a fire risk. B-cycle asks that you not bring one to a drop-off point or put it in a household bin, but keep it in a fire-resistant container, such as a glass container that is not airtight, and ask your council or transfer station whether it can take it. A battery that is only leaking can go in a zip-lock bag to a B-cycle drop-off point.
Fire and Rescue NSW gives the same warning about damaged lithium-ion batteries, and says to keep them outside in a well-ventilated area, at least 3 metres from any structure or anything that can burn. Sheet 03 has the warning signs.
What happens to a battery next
B-cycle publishes the journey a used battery takes through its network. In order:
- Collected and carried. Batteries travel to an accredited recycling facility under dangerous goods transport rules, in special containers, with drivers trained in battery safety.
- Sorted. Each is checked for damage and chemistry: lithium-ion rechargeable, alkaline single-use, nickel-based rechargeable, button, or lithium single-use. Damaged batteries may be set apart. E-bike packs may need taking apart first.
- Shredded and separated. The shredded material is separated so each part can be processed further. Some alkaline batteries may go to a smelter instead.
- Recovered. Steel casings can go to steel making. Copper and aluminium can be refined for wiring, building materials and car parts. A fine powder called black mass carries lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese.
- Refined. Metals in alkaline black mass are recovered by smelting in Australia, and it can return zinc and manganese to farm soil. Lithium black mass is sent overseas for further refining.