
Recycle at home = Depends
Household batteries and battery packs are classed as hazardous waste and must be kept separate from general waste and recycling. Never put household batteries or battery packs in your rubbish bin – they can cause fires.
A home collection service of household batteries and battery packs is available to households in the boroughs of Croydon, Sutton and Merton on the kerbside collection services. It is not available to flats that share large communal bins (see the four different types of collection service we provide).
Households on the kerbside collection service in Croydon, Merton and Sutton: Household batteries and battery packs can be recycled by putting them in a plastic bag and leaving them next to your recycling bins on collection day. Please note that the dedicated cages on the collection trucks for household batteries is small and fills up quickly, so the crews may not always be able to take your items. If this happens, we are sorry for the inconvenience and we are exploring ways to improve the battery collection service in the future.
Households on the kerbside collection service in Kingston: a kerbside collection service of batteries is not available in Kingston as there is no space for a dedicated cage on the borough’s electric collection vehicles. Please refer to how to recycle batteries out of home, below.
Recycle out of home = Yes
Household batteries and battery packs can be recycled at drop-off points in most local supermarkets and electrical stores – use the Recycling Locator tool on the Recycle Your Electricals website to find your nearest collection point. Household batteries can also be recycled at your local council-run Household Reuse and Recycling Centre
Kingston residents can also take batteries to Kingston, Hook, New Malden or Tolworth libraries.
Be a great recycler…
- Do not recycle car batteries from home or in local collection points – they must be taken to your council-run Household Reuse and Recycling Centre
Waste less…
- Swap disposable batteries for rechargeable ones – they will help you produce less waste and will save you money in the long run
- Try to buy appliances that use renewable energy – a wind-up radio or torch, dynamo bicycle lights or solar powered calculators are all good options