Here's how to recycle your household batteries

Put loose batteries into a clear plastic bag and seal. Small zip-type bags work best. For safety, please tape over both ends of each lithium battery.


Place the sealed bag on top of your black cart and set it out on your collection day.


Lead acid, wet cell, and automotive type batteries are not accepted. To find a recycling location near you, use the EcoFinder at SFEnvironment.org.

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Drop Off Locations
Residents of San Francisco can drop off household batteries (a.k.a. dry cell, alkaline, Ni-Cad, rechargeable batteries from computers and cell phones, etc.) at all Walgreens and many other locations throughout the city. The batteries are picked up from all of these locations up by a recycling worker employed by SF Recycling & Disposal and taken to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility for sorting. For a complete list of drop off sites, visit SFEnvironment.org and use the "EcoFinder."

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What Happens to Alkaline Batteries?
We ship alkaline batteries to AERC In Hayward. AERC is a licensed facility that recycles universal waste (electronics, fluorescent lamps, batteries).

AERC ships the batteries to Kinsbursky Brothers Inc. a transfer storage and disposal facility. Kinsbursky Brothers Inc. is a co-owner of Toxco Inc.

Kinsbursky consolidates the batteries into full truckloads and sends the batteries to Toxco Inc in Trail, British Columbia, Canada, where they are recycled.

Toxco's alkaline battery recycling process is as follows:

1. The batteries are shredded in a mild acid (the acid neutralizes the caustic electrolyte of the battery).
2. The ferrous metals are recovered via magnet and gravity. The metals fall to the bottom and are pulled up for recovery via screw conveyor where they are picked up by a magnet and dropped onto a shaker table.
3. A small percentage of plastic from the end caps of the battery as well as a small amount of paper separator is skimmed from the top of the solution and send to a Class III Landfill (non-hazardous landfill).
4. The neutral solution is pressed out of the remaining sludge. This pressed brick is rich in zinc and manganese. Any mercury in older batteries will be in the sludge.
5. The ferrous metal and the zinc/manganese are sold as raw materials. The ferrous metals are sold on the metals market and the zinc/manganese/mercury is sold to a large smelter that produces several grades of zinc, manganese, lead, and mercury. This is approximately 85 - 90 percent of the battery.

According to Toxco Inc., they are the only company in North America that can recover zinc and manganese from alkaline batteries; they are one of two in North America that can recycle nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal-hydride batteries; and they are the only company in the world that can recover lithium from any size or type of lithium battery.