Batteries and electronics
Lithium-ion packs, household batteries, phones, laptops and other electronics that need a separate drop-off.
How to dispose of an old TV or computer
Find the right reuse, take-back or e-waste route for a TV, monitor or computer without guessing.
How to dispose of vapes and e-cigarettes safely
Vapes never go in the trash or the recycling cart. Take them to a household hazardous waste site.
How to dispose of household batteries: AA to lithium
Alkaline batteries can go in the trash in most places. Rechargeable, lithium and button batteries never can.
Lithium-ion batteries do not go in the trash or the recycling cart
EPA says used lithium-ion batteries and the devices that hold them stay out of the trash and recycling carts.
A crushed lithium-ion battery can start a fire in a truck or on a sorting line, which is why EPA keeps these batteries and the devices that hold them out of the trash and the curbside recycling bin. The guides here cover how to pack each item, which take-back program accepts it, and where the answer turns local: a retailer, a household hazardous waste site or a state electronics program.
Where to start
Open household batteries for the AA, rechargeable and button-cell rules, the states that ban every battery from the trash and the drop-off answers in Seattle, Honolulu and Washington, DC, and lithium-ion batteries for the EPA rule, the packing steps and two checked drop-off examples. Vapes and e-cigarettes explains why a disposable vape goes to household hazardous waste whole, with the drop-off answers in New York City, San Francisco and Hennepin County. Old TVs and computers covers state electronics programs and drop-off for screens and computers. Household hazardous waste covers the sites that take batteries with other leftovers. The Call2Recycle listing explains the retailer drop-off network, drop-off locations lists the sites we have checked, and your state page says whether a state electronics law applies where you live.