In the UK, we use and throw away up to a billion batteries every year – or at least ten each. That’s a lot of batteries! But what
happens to batteries once they’re no longer working?

Dead batteries actually contain lots of valuable materials, such as rare earth metals, that can be recycled and used to make new things.

Everyone in the UK has access to free battery recycling services, but, despite this, fewer than half of all the batteries discarded in the UK are currently recycled properly, which means millions end up in the rubbish bin where they can become dangerous.

Collection of dead batteries
Photograph of many different types of used batteries

How to recycle your used batteries..

Once they’ve run out of charge, all the batteries you use in electronic devices at home can be recycled for free by taking them to your nearest council Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) or to a battery collection point often found in supermarkets, DIY stores, and many other public places. Some local councils also offer kerbside collections for batteries and/or waste electrical devices, making it even easier to recycle them responsibly.

Car batteries, or other large or specialist battery types, can be recycled by taking them to a car-battery recycling point at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre. Also, car garages will often take your old battery to be recycled when they replace it with a new one.

Find out how you can recycle all sorts of batteries.

What happens to batteries once they’ve been deposited at a recycling point or collected by your local council?

Step 1

Once you have taken your batteries to a recycling point, they are collected securely and taken to a specialist sorting facility where they are sorted into their many different types.

Step 2

Each type of battery will then go through a different mechanical or chemical recycling processes to recover valuable materials.

Step 3

The materials recovered from the recycling process are used to make new things.

Batteries contain plastics, metals, minerals and precious or rare elements like gold, silver or palladium – which can all be recycled!

How are batteries recycled?

Illustration of an infographic that explains what happens to batteries when they get recycled

Want to help make sure waste batteries don't become dangerous?

Start recycling today

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The Take Charge campaign was started by the Environmental Services Association (ESA), which represents many of UK’s largest recycling and waste management companies.

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No warranty is given nor liability accepted (to the fullest extent permitted under law) for any loss or damage suffered or incurred as a consequence of reliance on this website. ESA accepts no liability (to the fullest extent permitted under law) for any act or omission of any person using the guidance on this website. Use of the guidance on this website is voluntary.