Can I put alkaline batteries in the trash?

EPA Used Household Batteries: in most communities, alkaline and zinc-carbon batteries can be safely put in household trash. EPA still recommends sending them to battery recyclers or checking your local or state solid waste authority. Some places (including Montgomery County, MD) do not allow batteries in trash — use the MoCo geo batteries page for county rules. Confirm your local rule the morning you go.

Where do rechargeable batteries go?

EPA: do not put rechargeable batteries (including Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, Li-ion, Ni-Zn, and small sealed lead-acid) in the trash or municipal recycling bins. Bring removable packs to specialized battery recyclers, participating retailers with take-back, or local household hazardous waste. Devices with non-removable batteries go to certified electronics recyclers, retail electronics take-back, or HHW / electronics programs. Tape terminals or bag each battery separately. Use The Battery Network (formerly Call2Recycle) or Earth911 locator — link out only.

Do I need to tape battery terminals before drop-off?

Yes for many chemistries. EPA: tape terminals and/or place batteries in separate plastic bags for lithium-ion and other rechargeables to prevent fires. The Battery Network: bag or tape lithium-ion, Ni-Cd, NiMH, and SSLA; single-use alkaline usually need no terminal protection unless marked Lithium; soft-sided packs need bubble-wrap bags. Preferred: clear bag each battery. Or tape the positive terminal with clear packing, electrical, or duct tape — avoid masking, painters, or Scotch tape. Keep chemistry visible if tape is not clear.

Does The Battery Network / Call2Recycle take alkaline batteries?

The Battery Network (Call2Recycle is now The Battery Network) lists primary single-use batteries — including alkaline (AAA, AA, C, D, 9V), lithium primary, and coin or button cells — among materials that can be recycled through its programs. Primary batteries are accepted by select collection partners only. Use the Battery Network locator and check that site’s accepted materials before you go. Do not treat this page as a store list.

What about damaged, swollen, or recalled lithium batteries?

The Battery Network: damaged or defective lithium-ion batteries (swollen, leaking, overheating, or punctured) require special handling and must not go in trash, home recycling bins, or standard Battery Network collection boxes. Contact the manufacturer for instructions; kits may be available from their store. Trained damaged/defective drop-offs: Battery Network names Illinois, New York, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. as places that may have participating sites — use the locator filters. Recalled batteries are not accepted at Battery Network collection sites — contact the manufacturer. Corroded or leaking alkaline are not considered damaged under their guidance and can still go through normal recycling paths. Montgomery County How Do I does not publish a separate damaged-pack procedure — call 311 before hauling a damaged pack (see MoCo geo batteries page).

Where do Montgomery County, MD residents take batteries?

Use the MoCo geo batteries page at mocodropoff.com/batteries. County How Do I: HHW at Shady Grove accepts all listed chemistries including alkaline; do not put batteries in regular trash or the blue bin. This national explainer does not restate inventable MoCo hours, fees, or curbside rules.

Who takes batteries? Rechargeable vs alkaline (unofficial)

Local rules, which stores accept alkaline, and DDR paths change. Confirm on the official page the morning you go. This page is unofficial and not the county. Not a hauler. Not The Battery Network. Not Call2Recycle. Not EPA. This is the national batteries explainer — the Montgomery County geo batteries page is a different lookup. We do not scrape or clone Battery Network / Call2Recycle / Earth911 databases.

Which kind is it?

Alkaline / zinc-carbon (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V — single-use)?

Often trash · or recycle if local / retailer accepts

EPA Used Household Batteries: in most communities these can go in household trash; EPA still recommends battery recyclers or your local/state solid waste authority. Some jurisdictions refuse trash disposal — Montgomery County, MD does (HHW / county paths on the geo page). Battery Network: primary alkaline accepted at select partners only — check the locator listing. Terminal protection: Battery Network says alkaline usually need none unless marked Lithium.
Rechargeable — NiMH, Li-ion, Ni-Cd, Ni-Zn, tool packs, small sealed lead-acid (SSLA)?

Recycle · never trash or blue bin

EPA: do not put rechargeables in trash or municipal recycling. Removable packs → specialized recyclers, retail take-back, or HHW. Devices with non-removable packs → certified electronics recyclers, retail electronics take-back, or local HHW / electronics programs. Tape terminals or bag each battery. Use The Battery Network locator or Earth911 (link only).
Button / coin cell or lithium primary (single-use “Lithium” on the label)?

Recycle · tape or bag · not trash

EPA: do not put button-cell, coin, or lithium single-use batteries in trash or municipal recycling bins. Bag separately or tape terminals (or wrap the whole button). Look for the word “Lithium” on the cell. Battery Network lists lithium primary and coin/button under primary batteries — select partners; confirm on locator. Keep away from young children (swallowing hazard — EPA).
Car / boat / wet-cell lead-acid battery?

Battery retailer or HHW · not trash

EPA Automotive Batteries: return lead-acid to a battery retailer or local solid / household hazardous waste program; do not put in trash or municipal recycling. Contains sulfuric acid and lead — follow battery warnings. Battery Network consumer collection boxes are for dry-cell / household programs — wet-cell car batteries are a different path (retailer exchange / HHW). MoCo residents: see geo /batteries.
E-bike, scooter, lawn equipment, or other medium-format / high-energy pack?

Locator · specialty / brand programs

Battery Network: medium-format (e-bikes, scooters, outdoor power) and high-energy packs may need specialty partners; e-bike and high-energy programs accept participating brands only. Some locator sites accept e-bike or high-energy (>300 Wh) — check the listing. EV traction packs: certified EV recovery only — not a consumer box. Fees and brand lists: not stated as a national flat number here — confirm at locator / manufacturer.
Damaged, swollen, leaking, overheating Li-ion — or recalled pack?

Special handling · not the retail box

Battery Network: do not put DDR lithium in trash, home recycling, or standard collection boxes. Isolate; place in non-flammable material such as sand or kitty litter per their safety page; contact the manufacturer. Recalled packs: not accepted at Battery Network sites — manufacturer instructions. Locator may show damaged/defective sites in IL, NY, VT, and DC. Corroded alkaline is not “damaged” under their definition. MoCo: county How Do I has no separate DDR procedure — call 311 (geo page).
Montgomery County, MD resident?

MoCo geo · not this national dump

County takes a stricter path than “most communities” alkaline-in-trash. Use live geo mocodropoff.com/batteries for HHW, on-call curbside, ECOWISE, and refuse-from-trash rules. This explainer does not invent MoCo hours or fees.

Related: MoCo batteries (live geo) · HHW (draft) · electronics (draft) · bulbs (draft). Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.

Chemistry → general US path

National guidance from EPA and The Battery Network (formerly Call2Recycle). Local bans and HHW rules override “most communities” trash language. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.

Battery chemistry and general US disposal path
Kind	General US guidance	Prep	Last-checked	Source
Alkaline / zinc-carbon	Most communities: household trash allowed. EPA recommends recycling or ask local/state authority. Some localities ban trash disposal.	Battery Network: usually no tape unless marked Lithium.	12 Sep 2026	EPA household; Battery Network
Rechargeable (Ni-Cd, NiMH, Li-ion, Ni-Zn, SSLA)	Do not trash or put in municipal recycling. Retail take-back, specialized recycler, or HHW. Devices with sealed packs → electronics / HHW paths.	Bag each battery or tape terminals (non-conductive).	12 Sep 2026	EPA household; EPA Li-ion
Button / coin / lithium primary	Do not trash or municipal recycle. Specialized recycler, retail take-back, or HHW.	Bag or tape terminals / wrap button. Identify “Lithium” on label.	12 Sep 2026	EPA household; Battery Network primary
Automotive lead-acid	Return to battery retailer or local HHW / solid waste program. Not trash / not blue bin.	Follow battery warnings (acid / lead). Not a dry-cell collection-box item.	12 Sep 2026	EPA household (automotive)
Damaged / defective Li-ion or recalled	Not standard retail boxes. Manufacturer instructions; Battery Network DDR guidance; limited trained sites (IL, NY, VT, DC per BN safety).	Isolate; non-flammable fill (sand / kitty litter per BN). Never trash / blue bin / standard box.	12 Sep 2026	Battery Network safety

Fee for consumer retail drop-off: not stated as a single national price — confirm at the locator listing or program. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.

Where to go (program info — not a store list)

The Battery Network (formerly Call2Recycle) — locator

Hours

Retail / partner site hours — call ahead

Locator is not a scrape. This page does not list store addresses. Primary (alkaline) accepted at select partners only. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.

Call 877-723-1297 Locator

What to recycle · Safety / DDR · call2recycle.org · Drop-off line 877-2-RECYCLE

Battery Network national program
Address	Use the Battery Network drop-off locator (ZIP). Do not clone their database. This page does not list retailers. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Who	Consumers dropping household and rechargeable batteries at participating sites. Specialty e-bike / high-energy: participating brands and sites only. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
What they take	Rechargeable: Li-ion, Ni-Cd, NiMH, SSLA (and related household rechargeables). Primary: alkaline (AAA–9V), lithium primary, coin/button — select partners. Medium-format / e-bike / high-energy: specialty programs; check listing. Cellphones noted on kit materials. Wet-cell car batteries: not the dry-cell consumer box path. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Fee	Consumer drop-off fee: not stated as a national flat rate on the locator/home pages fetched — confirm at the site. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Cap	Per-site weight / chemistry limits: not stated as a single national consumer max on the locator page — check listing / call the store. Kit materials mention individual batteries and Wh limits for shippable kits — that is partner shipping, not inventable as your local store’s public cap. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Phone	Customer service: 877-723-1297. Drop-off locator line: 877-2-RECYCLE. Email: connect@batterynetwork.org. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Last-checked	12 Sep 2026
Source	locator what to recycle safety home (Call2Recycle → Battery Network) Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.

Address: Use the Battery Network locator. No store list on this page. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Who: Consumers at participating sites; specialty packs = brand/site check. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
What they take: Rechargeables; primary at select partners; specialty medium-format per listing. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Fee: not stated as a national flat consumer fee — confirm at site. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Cap: National single consumer max: not stated — check listing. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Phone: 877-723-1297 · 877-2-RECYCLE. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Last-checked: 12 Sep 2026
Source: locator what to recycle safety Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.

EPA guidance + Earth911 locator (link only)

Hours

Varies by local program — not an EPA facility

EPA pages link Earth911 and Call2Recycle for find-a-site. This page does not scrape Earth911 results. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.

EPA household batteries Earth911

EPA Li-ion · Call2Recycle.org

EPA and Earth911 pointer card
Address	No national EPA drop-off address. Use Earth911 or Battery Network / Call2Recycle locators. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Who	US households following EPA consumer guidance; local programs set who-is-allowed. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
What they take	See chemistry table above. EPA recommends recycling alkaline when possible; requires separate management for rechargeables, lithium primary / button, lead-acid, and Li-ion devices. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Fee	not stated on EPA consumer pages as a national fee. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Cap	not stated nationally. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Phone	EPA public contact for this topic: not stated as a single consumer hotline on the pages fetched — use Battery Network lines above or your local solid waste authority. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Last-checked	12 Sep 2026
Source	EPA household EPA Li-ion Earth911 Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.

Address: No EPA facility list — use locators. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Who: US households; local programs set eligibility. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
What they take: See chemistry table / EPA pages. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Fee: not stated nationally. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Cap: not stated nationally. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Phone: not stated as a single EPA consumer hotline on fetched pages. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Last-checked: 12 Sep 2026
Source: EPA Earth911 Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.

Montgomery County, MD (local — geo page)

Hours

See live geo batteries page / facility hours

This national explainer does not restate inventable MoCo HHW or curbside clocks. Alkaline-in-trash does not apply in MoCo per county How Do I. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.

Call 311 MoCo batteries

How Do I — batteries · HHW draft

Pointer to Montgomery County batteries geo page
Address	Shady Grove HHW and county curbside rules — details on mocodropoff.com/batteries, not duplicated inventably here. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Who	Montgomery County residents / businesses per county How Do I — not a national Battery Network rule. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
What they take	See geo page / How Do I material key 22 (all chemistries including alkaline at HHW). Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Fee	See geo page (resident HHW vs ECOWISE). Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Cap	See geo page (brief: no battery quantity limit at HHW on How Do I). Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Phone	311 or 240-777-0311. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Last-checked	12 Sep 2026
Source	geo page How Do I Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.

Address: See mocodropoff.com/batteries. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Who: Montgomery County per How Do I. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
What they take: See geo page / How Do I 22. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Fee: See geo page. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Cap: See geo page. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Phone: 311 / 240-777-0311. Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.
Last-checked: 12 Sep 2026
Source: geo How Do I Last-checked 12 Sep 2026.

Bring this / prep

Identify chemistry from the label (Li-ion, NiMH, Ni-Cd, Lithium, alkaline) — EPA: type is by marking, not shape or color alone.
Bag each rechargeable / lithium / button cell in a clear bag, or tape the positive terminal with clear packing, electrical, or duct tape (Battery Network). Avoid masking / painters / Scotch tape.
Soft-sided packs: bubble-wrap bags (Battery Network).
Do not mix loose lithium cells with coins, keys, or other metal in a pocket or container.
Call the retailer or check the locator listing for alkaline vs rechargeable vs e-bike acceptance before you drive.
MoCo: proof of residency and tape/bag rules live on the geo batteries page.

Not here / caution

A scraped list of Battery Network, Call2Recycle, or Earth911 stores (use the locators).
Invented national drop-off fees, star ratings, or “we tested” claims.
Damaged / swollen / overheating Li-ion or recalled packs in a standard retail collection box (Battery Network refuses; manufacturer path).
Wet-cell car batteries treated as dry-cell retail-box items.
Full MoCo HHW hours / ECOWISE fee table (that is the live geo page).
Meds / sharps pages (YMYL — not this site).

Official sources

EPA — Used Household Batteries (alkaline trash-in-most-communities; rechargeable / button / lead-acid paths; tape guidance)
EPA — Used Lithium-Ion Batteries (not trash / not municipal recycling; bag or tape)
The Battery Network (Call2Recycle is now The Battery Network)
Battery Network drop-off locator (link only — no scrape)
Battery Network — What to Recycle
Battery Network — Primary (single-use) batteries
Battery Network — Safety / DDR / recalled
call2recycle.org (legacy brand URL still linked from EPA)
Earth911 locator (link only — no scrape)
MoCo How Do I — batteries (geo, not national)
mocodropoff.com/batteries (live MoCo geo)