Batteries and cell phones both contain toxic materials such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury and many other toxic materials that threaten human health and the environment. In fact, both batteries and cell phones are now classified as Universal Waste and are banned from disposal with garbage and must be handled properly.
Single-family residents in the RethinkWaste service area can conveniently recycle household batteries and cell phones at the curb! Simply place household batteries (no auto batteries) and cell phones in a zip-type plastic bag and place on the lid of your blue Recycle Cart for recycling on your collection day. Tape button-type batteries and wrap cell phones in paper before placing in the zip-type bag.
In addition, those who have the Door-to-Door Household Hazardous Waste Collection program in their community, can include batteries and cell phones as part of the items they set out for pick up.
Want to find out what's the safest way to prepare your old batteries for recycling? Click here for our Zap then Zip Battery Recycling Best Practice.
Batteries and cell phones can also be dropped off for free at RethinkWaste’s Shoreway Environmental Center, located at 333 Shoreway Road in San Carlos.
[1] GATHER YOUR BATTERIES This includes all single-use, rechargeable, button cell and 9-volt batteries. You can also recycle your old cell phones.
[2] DISCHARGE BATTERIES Soak the batteries in an open-topped container in a solution of three tablespoons of baking soda to a quart of water for 24 hours to make them safe for recycling. This is a critical step since even partially charged batteries are highly dangerous!
[3] PLACE IN
[4] LEAVE IT ON YOUR RECYCLING BIN Place the sealed bag on top of your mixed paper recycling bin and set it out on your collection day. We'll make sure your batteries and cell phones are properly, and safely recycled.
