Still holding on to an old car battery and unsure how to dispose of it?
You’re right to pause — car batteries can’t simply be tossed into the regular trash or yard waste. They contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals that can be harmful to the environment.
But storing it at home for an extended period can be risky too.
Don’t stress.
In this guide, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about car battery disposal, including how to store it safely and where you can drop it off. We’ll also explore how you can earn a little cash from it.
This Article Contains:
- How Do You Safely Dispose of a Car Battery?
- Why is it Important to Dispose of Your Car Battery Properly?
- How to Remove Your Car Battery for Disposal
- 4 Key Tips to Store an Old Car Battery Before Disposal and Recycling
- What Happens to a Car Battery When it is Recycled?
- Can You Make Money Out of Your Old Car Battery?
- Can You Recycle Electric Vehicle (EV) Batteries?
How Do You Safely Dispose of a Car Battery?
There are multiple ways of safe car battery disposal. You can approach any one of the following places to turn in your automotive battery:
- Battery recycling centres: These recyclers can safely dismantle the battery and reclaim valuable components, such as lead, to use in new batteries. They recycle batteries through a controlled process that prevents hazardous materials from entering the environment.
- Retailers that accept old batteries: Many retailers allow you to return your old battery when you purchase a new one. You may be eligible for a discount or a core charge refund for recycling your used battery.
- Community hazardous waste collection programs: Local or state-run hazardous waste collection programs often accept car batteries. These programs ensure safe handling and proper disposal of batteries and other types of household hazardous waste.
NOTE: Some household batteries, such as alkaline batteries and zinc batteries, are generally considered safe to place in regular solid waste. It’s still wise to see if your community offers a household hazardous waste program or a local collection event for recyclables. These help prevent batteries from ending up in yard waste, where animals might accidentally ingest fragments.
Now that you know where to take your old battery, let’s examine why safe disposal is important.
Why is it Important to Dispose of Your Car Battery Properly?
You should never throw an old rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery into regular trash. In fact, in many places, the law prohibits the disposal of batteries as solid waste.
When batteries are not disposed of properly, they can create serious risks that affect overall environmental quality:
- They may start fires that endanger people, animals, homes, and nearby property.
- Improperly discarded batteries can release harmful gases that pollute the air and negatively affect human health.
- They can also leak toxic chemicals into the soil, contaminating drinking water sources and ultimately polluting rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Moreover, recycling batteries enables the recovery and reuse of valuable materials, including lithium, cobalt, and other rare metals. Recyclables reduce the need for mining new resources and strengthen the automotive recycling industry, supporting a more sustainable future.
So, instead of throwing away an old battery, send it to a battery recycling center and make a responsible choice for the planet.
But, before you can take your old battery to a recycling center, you’ll need to remove it from your car safely.
Read on to know more.
How to Remove Your Car Battery for Disposal
CAUTION: It’s best to let a technician handle the battery removal, as a car battery is heavy and a damaged battery can leak hazardous acid.
Here’s how they’ll go about it:
- Put on gloves and proper eye protection.
- Shut off the engine and remove the keys. Ensure all electrical systems are off before starting the process.
- Loosen the nut on the negative terminal (usually coated in black or gray) with a wrench.
- Remove the cable carefully, ensuring the wrench doesn’t touch both terminals at the same time.
- Loosen and remove the cable from the positive terminal, typically marked in red.
- Detach any hold-down hardware, such as straps, brackets, or blocks, securing the battery in place.
- Inspect the battery for cracks, leaks, or other damage. A leaking or damaged battery requires extreme caution due to the presence of harmful battery acid.
- Lift the battery straight up, keeping it upright to prevent spills.
- Place it on a sturdy, nonflammable surface, such as concrete or a pallet.
Once the battery is out of the vehicle, you may not be able to take it to a recycler immediately. In that case, you’ll need to store it at your home temporarily.
4 Key Tips to Store an Old Car Battery Before Disposal and Recycling
Here are some ways to safely store your battery at home:
- Use plastic containers: First, slip the old battery into a plastic bag to contain grime and protect surfaces during transport, while also helping to catch any minor leaks. After bagging it, place the battery into a sturdy, intact plastic container (or the original protective tray) for safer handling and storage.
- Choose the right location: Store the battery in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area, but avoid living spaces. You should also keep it away from open flames or heat sources.
CAUTION: Don’t store the battery in your car’s trunk. It’s fine to keep it there briefly for transport to a recycling facility, but it shouldn’t stay there for long. - Keep the battery upright: Always store the battery in an upright position on a stable, non-flammable surface (such as concrete or a wooden pallet) to prevent acid leaks and damage.
IMPORTANT: If you accidentally spill battery acid, move away from the spill, ventilate the area, and neutralize it with baking soda. Once it’s safe, clean it up carefully. - Prevent terminal contact: Protect the battery terminals from touching metal objects that could cause a short circuit. You can cover them with electrical tape.
That said, avoid keeping the battery at home for an extended period. Arrange for its proper disposal with a recycler as soon as you can.
Next, let’s understand what actually happens at a recycling facility:
What Happens to a Car Battery When it is Recycled?
To recycle batteries properly, service centers first identify and separate them by battery type. The recycling process begins after this.
A. Lead Acid Battery
Almost 99% of a lead-acid battery can be recycled. Technicians begin the process by dismantling the units — separating the plastic casing, the acid, and the lead components.
Here’s what happens next:
- Battery acid treatment: The sulfuric acid inside the automotive battery is highly corrosive and must be treated safely. Recycling centers convert the acid into water or neutralize it into sodium sulfate — a harmless material used in products such as detergents and fertilizers.
- Lead recovery: Lead is thoroughly cleaned and melted down. It can then be reused to manufacture new car batteries or incorporated into other lead-based products.
- Plastic component reuse: Plastic casings are melted and molded into new battery cases or other durable plastic parts.
B. Lithium-ion Battery
Lithium-ion batteries are more complex to recycle than lead-acid batteries.
The process involves:
- Discharge and break down: The lithium battery is safely discharged and then taken apart, shredded, or crushed. This creates a powder called “black mass,” which contains metals.
- Metal extraction: The black mass is chemically treated (usually with acids) to dissolve valuable metals, such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel.
- Separation and cleaning: The dissolved metals are then separated and cleaned using methods such as filtration or chemical separation. This process turns them into usable materials, such as lithium carbonate, nickel sulfate, or cobalt salts.
- Refining: Finally, these purified materials are refined to a high standard, allowing them to be used in the manufacture of new lithium-ion batteries.
Some other battery types, like nickel-metal hydride, silver-oxide, and alkaline batteries, are more challenging to recycle because they don’t yield as many reusable materials.
Recycling car batteries definitely benefits the automotive recycling industry.
But can you also earn anything from it? Keep reading to find out.
Can You Make Money Out of Your Old Car Battery?
Yes, it’s possible to earn money from an old car battery, and several places are willing to pay for it:
- Many auto parts stores accept used batteries for recycling and offer cash or store credit in return.
- Scrap metal yards are another option and often pay higher prices because they value the lead inside the battery.
- Some recyclers will also pay for old batteries, although typically at a lower rate than scrap metal yards.
- Additionally, when you purchase a new battery, you typically pay a core charge or a refundable deposit. Returning your old battery when it reaches the end of its life allows you to reclaim this deposit or receive a discount on your replacement battery.
NOTE: You can also earn money by recycling household batteries, depending on the battery type and the scale of recycling.
We’ve discussed regular battery types, but what about EV batteries? Are they recyclable as well?
Let’s find out.
Can You Recycle Electric Vehicle (EV) Batteries?
Yes, EV batteries can be recycled, and many can even be given a second life.
When these rechargeable batteries can no longer power a car, they are often repurposed for other uses, such as storage energy systems or as a solar backup device.
While recycling systems for batteries of traditional non-electric vehicles are well-established, new processes and technologies are still evolving to support EV battery recycling.
Meanwhile, lead-acid batteries and lithium-ion batteries used in EVs as auxiliary sources are recycled much like those in non-electric vehicles. These power the vehicle’s low-voltage systems, such as lights and door locks.
Likewise, nickel-cadmium batteries (used in some early EVs) can also be processed by breaking them down and safely separating their parts. This allows metals like nickel and cadmium to be recovered and reused. However, nickel-cadmium batteries have been restricted in some regions as cadmium is a toxic metal.
Resolve Your Car Battery Issues Safely with AutoNation Mobile Service
Disposing of an old car battery properly helps protect the environment and keeps your home safe.
Don’t delay a battery replacement just because disposing of it feels confusing. Let AutoNation Mobile Service handle it for you.
Our skilled technicians are available every day of the week to handle your car battery issues right from your driveway. We also offer upfront pricing, and every repair is backed by a 12-month | 12,000-mile warranty
Contact us today for hassle-free battery replacement.