Why It’s Important to Safely Recycle Batteries and E-waste and How to Do It Correctly
Sustainability 101
Why It’s Important to Safely Recycle Batteries and E-waste and How to Do It Correctly
Author: Team Grove
They’re in our junk drawers, bathroom cabinets, and tech graveyards — dead batteries and old electronics piling up quietly. But what seems like harmless clutter is actually one of the fastest-growing (and most hazardous) waste streams in the world. Here’s why battery and e-waste disposal matters and what you can do to keep your community and the planet safer.
A growing hazard in your home
From that old remote to a drawer full of dead AAAs, batteries are easy to ignore until they become a hazard. Improperly disposed batteries, especially lithium-ion ones, have become a leading cause of garbage truck and landfill fires. When crushed or exposed to heat, they can spark, ignite, and explode, releasing toxic gases and endangering anyone in their surroundings.
Even without combustion, battery waste seeps into the environment. Over time, batteries break down and leach harmful metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium into soil and water systems, threatening ecosystems and human health.¹²
What makes e-waste so harmful
Batteries are just the beginning. E-waste includes everything from old phones to tangled cords — and it’s growing faster than any other waste stream in the world. Globally, over 50 million tons of e-waste is generated annually, but only about 20% is formally recycled.²
The rest ends up in landfills, where it releases toxins, or is exported to countries without safe processing infrastructure. Communities near informal e-waste dumpsites often face increased risks of respiratory issues, neurological disorders, and other chronic health conditions due to exposure to heavy metals and flame retardants.³
Rechargeables as a smarter alternative
Swapping disposable batteries for rechargeable ones is one of the easiest ways to reduce environmental harm. Not only do rechargeable batteries last much longer, they reduce the total volume of battery waste sent to landfills or improperly discarded.
And when their life cycle ends, recycling them can actually help the environment. A recent study found that recycling lithium-ion batteries significantly cuts carbon emissions and recovers valuable metals like cobalt and lithium — reducing the need for new mining and creating a more secure supply chain.⁴
How to dispose of batteries and electronics safely
Here’s how to keep your battery and e-waste disposal clean and safe:³
Never throw batteries in the trash, especially lithium-ion since they’re fire hazards.³
Never toss electronics or batteries in curbside recycling bins — they require special handling.
Use local drop-off programs at hardware stores, libraries, and recycling centers to dispose of batteries or old electronics.
Bundle up your broken cords, chargers, and gadgets and take them to an e-waste recycling event or certified recycler.
Tape the ends of battery terminals to prevent sparking, and store them in a non-metal container.
Always check local and state laws and regulations to see what protocols you may have to follow for disposing of batteries and e-waste, especially automotive batteries. Safely disposing and recycling with certified processors ensures e-waste is handled safely, ethically, and with minimal environmental impact.
Powering down, the right way
Batteries and electronics are part of daily life — but how we handle them at the end of their life matters more than we think. By choosing rechargeable options, storing used batteries safely, and recycling e-waste responsibly, you’re keeping toxins out of the trash, protecting communities, ecosystems, and your own wellbeing.
Sources
1 E-Waste Association of South Africa. (n.d.). How battery waste pollutes the environment. https://ewasa.org/how-battery-waste-pollutes-the-environment/
2 United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). Used household batteries. https://www.epa.gov/recycle/used-household-batteries
3 World Health Organization. (2023). Electronic waste (e-waste) fact sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/electronic-waste-(e-waste)
4 United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). Cleaning up electronic waste (e-waste). https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/cleaning-electronic-waste-e-waste
5 Machala, M. L., Chen, X., Bunke, S. P., Forbes, G., Yegizbay, A., de Chalendar, J. A., Azevedo, I. L., Benson, S., & Tarpeh, W. A. (2025). Life cycle comparison of industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling and mining supply chains. Nature Communications, 16, 988. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56063-x
