Lithium battery recycling questions, answered

No. Lithium-ion batteries can short-circuit when crushed in a garbage truck or at a sorting facility, and they are a leading cause of fires in waste and recycling operations. Several states also ban them from household trash outright. Recycle them through a battery program instead.

Mostly businesses and institutions: data centers, fleets, auto dealers, manufacturers, retailers handling returns, hospitals, schools, solar installers and municipalities. Individuals with larger items, such as an e-bike battery or a home energy storage system, can request a quote too.

There’s no strict minimum, but very small quantities of household batteries are often cheaper to drop at a retail collection point or a local household hazardous waste program. For a single laptop battery, that is usually the better choice. For anything from a box of batteries upward, a quote makes sense.

Most quotes come back within one business day. Complex jobs, such as damaged EV packs or large energy storage systems, may need photos and a short call first.

Price depends on weight, chemistry, condition, packaging and distance. Large loads of intact NMC batteries cost less per pound than small, mixed or damaged loads, and LFP batteries usually cost more because they contain less recoverable value. Request a quote with the type, approximate weight and ZIP code for an exact number.

Damaged, swollen or defective batteries need special packaging, often with non-combustible cushioning, and they can only travel by ground. They are also handled more carefully at the processor. All of that adds cost compared with intact batteries of the same weight.

Sometimes, for large, clean loads of high-value chemistries such as NMC or NCA from EVs or manufacturing scrap, when metal prices are favorable. For mixed or small loads, collection, packaging and freight usually exceed the material value, so recycling is a cost.

Sort batteries by chemistry, keep damaged ones separate, tape terminals, and accumulate a fuller load before scheduling a pickup, within the one-year universal waste accumulation limit. A recurring program with regular pickups usually costs less per pound than one-off emergency removals.

Either. Larger loads such as pallets, EV packs and energy storage modules are usually picked up by a hazmat-qualified carrier. Smaller quantities can go in a prepaid shipping kit with the correct packaging and labels. The quote recommends the cheaper compliant option for your load.

Yes, but they are handled as their own category. Federal transport rules (49 CFR 173.185(f)) require special packaging for damaged, defective or recalled lithium batteries, and they cannot be shipped by air at all. Tell us the condition on the quote form so the right packaging is specified.

Lithium-ion cells and batteries shipped by themselves are UN3480. When packed with equipment or installed in equipment they are UN3481. Lithium metal batteries, which are non-rechargeable, are UN3090 or UN3091. All are Class 9 dangerous goods.

Generally, yes. Anyone who prepares lithium batteries for transport as hazardous materials needs DOT hazmat training under 49 CFR Part 172, Subpart H. Some small shipments qualify for exceptions. With a pickup, the carrier’s trained staff handle much of the paperwork.

Store them in a cool, dry place away from flammable materials, in closed, non-conductive containers. Tape terminals or bag batteries individually, keep damaged batteries isolated in sand or vermiculite, and label containers as universal waste batteries with the date accumulation began.

Under federal rules, most discarded lithium batteries meet the definition of hazardous waste because they can ignite or react. Businesses can usually manage them under EPA’s streamlined universal waste rule (40 CFR Part 273) instead of full hazardous waste requirements. Some states add stricter rules; check your state page.

It is a document from the recycler confirming that your batteries were received and processed, typically listing the date, weight, battery categories and the generator’s name. Auditors, insurers and ESG reporting frameworks often ask for it.

Under the federal universal waste rule, handlers may accumulate universal waste batteries for up to one year from the date they became waste. You need to be able to show how long they have been stored, usually by dating the container or keeping an inventory.

It might. States including California, New York, Washington, Illinois, Colorado, Vermont and others have battery stewardship laws or disposal bans. Each state page summarizes what we found, with links to the source.

They go to a battery processor where they are discharged, shredded under controlled conditions and separated. The resulting black mass is refined to recover nickel, cobalt, lithium and other materials, while copper and aluminum foils are recovered separately. You receive a certificate of recycling for your records.

Some can. EV packs that still hold a good share of their original capacity can be repurposed for stationary energy storage after testing. Packs that are damaged, heavily degraded or of uncertain history are better recycled.

Battery recycling and data destruction are separate services. Remove batteries from laptops, phones and medical devices where you can, and handle data-bearing devices through your IT asset disposition process before or alongside battery recycling.