Battery Recycling
Used batteries must not go in household waste
As a UK battery retailer we are required to help you recycle them free of charge, and this page explains the three ways to do so. Please do not post used batteries to us: certain used batteries are illegal to send by Royal Mail, and no courier we know of will accept them either.
We are not obliged to accept, and do not accept under any circumstances, automotive batteries or industrial batteries — those designed for industrial or professional use, batteries used for EV propulsion, and any unsealed battery.
Why batteries are recycled
Batteries contain metals that are recovered and reused, and some contain substances that are harmful if they reach soil or water. Under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, retailers who supply batteries — including online — must accept used portable batteries for recycling free of charge, whether or not they were bought from them.
Battrecycle
We meet that obligation in partnership with WasteCare, the UK’s largest battery compliance scheme, through its Battrecycle collection network (formerly BatteryBack) — more than 30,000 free collection points across the UK.
Option 1 — Drop them at a local collection point
Battrecycle collection points are in supermarkets, shops, schools and council sites nationwide. Enter your postcode at map.battrecycle.org to find the nearest one. This is the simplest option for households and for small quantities.
Option 2 — A battery bin at your premises
If your business, school or organisation produces a steady quantity of used batteries, WasteCare will supply a collection container for your site and collect it free of charge once it is full (collections are subject to a minimum of 40 kg). Contact WasteCare on 0800 091 0000 or recycling@wastecare.co.uk, or apply at battrecycle.org/join. We are happy to make the introduction — ask us through the contact form.
Option 3 — Bring them to us
We keep a single 60 L collection bin at our premises in Denton, emptied regularly by WasteCare, and accept used portable batteries into it during office hours. The bin is the limit of what we can hold on site. Quantities above that must be arranged in advance: contact us before you visit and we will either book a WasteCare collection for them or set you up with your own free bin under Option 2, which avoids the journey altogether. We are a distributor, not a treatment facility, and cannot take damaged or swollen lithium batteries.
Before you recycle
Keep used batteries dry and away from metal objects. Tape over the terminals of lithium and 9V batteries, and of any battery that is damaged or swollen, to prevent short circuits. Where possible, keep different battery types together by chemistry.
All three options are for portable batteries only — sealed batteries that can be carried by hand, such as AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, button cells and the rechargeable packs used in phones, tools and laptops. We are not obliged to accept, and do not accept under any circumstances, automotive batteries or industrial batteries: those designed for industrial or professional use, batteries used for EV propulsion, and any unsealed battery. Automotive and industrial batteries are taken back by their producer or supplier, or by your local authority recycling centre.