Did you know batteries can ignite and explode when put in household bins?
It’s easy to find a place near you to drop off your unwanted batteries. Your local IGA, Coles, Woolworths, Bunnings and Aldi should have a battery drop off box through B-Cycle who accept most common household batteries.
Batteries have caused truck fires, which is dangerous to the community. It may also delay your collection service and increase costs to you through an increase in your rates.
But remember, many common household items have embedded batteries. These are a type of battery which are placed permanently within an item and cannot be removed. Embedded batteries are often hidden inside everyday items like electronic toothbrushes, Bluetooth speakers and headphones, power tools, toys and vapes.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is currently running an embedded battery recycling trial at some Community Recycling Centres. While there is not a location in Canterbury-Bankstown, these facilities are open to all residents of NSW. The closest locations to you are Inner West CRC, or Liverpool CRC.
For more information, visit the NSW EPA website here.
Simply hold on to your batteries and take them with you the next time you go shopping. Here are some tips on how to safely store them until you’re ready to take them to a drop off location:
- Tape your batteries terminals (ends of the batteries) with clear sticky tape. If terminals touch they can spark and cause a fire
- Store taped batteries in a clearly labelled glass container
- Store the container in cool, dry place away from any heat source
You can also drop off batteries at our Chemical CleanOut event.
Mobile phones also contain batteries which often can't be removed. These devices aren't accepted by B-Cycle, but can be recycled through MobileMuster. Find your closest MobileMuster drop off location here.
If you have other tricky electrical items that contain batteries, you can find where to take them on the Planet Ark website, click here to find out more.