Recycling household batteries
From the remote that turns on your TV to the watch that never leaves your wrist, batteries power so many parts of our lives that we rarely give them a second thought. That is, until they run out of power.
But just because a battery is no longer useful in your gadgets, doesn’t mean it’s no longer valuable.
Batteries contain precious materials like cobalt, nickel and lithium that can be extracted and reused in new products. Ontario’s circular economy laws are designed to keep these resources in use – and out of landfills.
You can’t recycle used batteries in your Blue Box, but you can drop them off for free at a recycling location near you. Locations include local retail stores and municipally run depots.
From those locations, your old batteries will be collected, sorted, processed, recycled or refurbished. For the parts that can’t be recycled, battery processors will make sure they’re safely disposed of so dangerous chemicals are kept out of the environment.
What types of batteries can be recycled?
Single-use and rechargeable batteries weighing 5 kg or less each are accepted for recycling. Examples include:
- 9V
- AA
- AAA
- C
- D
- Button cells (e.g., watch and car remote batteries)
- Lantern batteries
- Replacement batteries for tools and other electronics (for example: drills, cell phones and laptops)
- Sealed lead acid batteries such as those used for emergency lighting or to power wheelchairs