Battery Collection Facilities
The dangers of used batteries
Used batteries thrown away in the general rubbish, or mixed with other recyclable materials like card, metals and plastics, can be very dangerous.
When your general rubbish or recycling is collected, any used batteries hiding in it are unintentionally likely to be squashed, compacted, punctured, shredded or soaked in liquids. When this happens, some types of battery can get very hot or ignite, resulting in fires that put lives at risk; cause millions of dollars of damage; and disrupt your waste services.
Even if they don’t cause a fire, if damaged, these dead batteries contain chemicals and materials that can harm the environment if they aren’t disposed of responsibly.
Top tips to stop waste batteries from becoming dangerous.
- Try to use rechargeable batteries instead of single-use ones where possible - this reduces the number of batteries that are discarded
- Try to sell or donate working, but unwanted, battery-powered electronic items instead of throwing them away
- Never put batteries in your general rubbish bin or recycle them with other recyclable materials
- If you can safely remove a battery from a product, the battery should always be disposed of separately using a battery collection service.
If you would like to be included on this map, please contact Fiona on fiona@wasteminz.org.nz
WasteMINZ exists to make a positive environmental impact on Aotearoa New Zealand
