Button Cell Batteries Alternative ways to recycle Illegal in Garbage & Drains Contains Mercury Hazardous Waste FREE Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and Mattress Collection Event (Hercules, CA) – ONE DAY ONLY! Saturday, June 24, 2023 More Info Get Reminder ALERT: Department of Transportation (DOT) Law Regarding Battery Disposal Many types of batteries must be taped or placed in individual plastic bags prior to disposal to prevent a possible spark. This will reduce the risk of fire during storage and transportation. Please tape over the positive terminal of the following batteries, or place them in individual plastic bags: Alkaline batteries that are 9-volts or greater Lithium batteries: found in cameras, computers, watches (for small, circular batteries, tape around the entire battery) NiCad, Zinc Chloride and rechargeable batteries (found in cellphones, power tools, toys) FREE Drop-Off at West Contra Costa Household Hazardous Waste Facility Residents may, for free, safely and properly dispose of any and all types of batteries at the West County HHW Collection Facility. FREE Battery Drop-Off at Retail Stores, Government Locations and Community Centers Residents may also drop off household batteries for recycling at the many battery drop-off locations throughout the West Contra Costa County region. See list of locations for El Cerrito, Hercules, El Sobrante, Richmond, San Pablo, and Pinole below. El Cerrito El Cerrito Recycling Center, 7501 Schmidt Ln, 215-4350 El Sobrante Oliver’s Hardware, 4071 San Pablo Dam Rd, 223-4450 Pinole Pinole City Hall, 2131 Pear St, 724-9010 Pinole Senior Center, 2500 Charles Ave, 724-9802 Pinole Community Center, 635 Tennent Ave, 724-9062 Richmond Richmond City Hall, 450 Civic Center Plaza, 620-6512 West County Resource Recovery, 101 Pittsburg Ave, 888-412-9277 Whale Point Marine & Hardware Co., 205 Cutting Blvd, 233-1988 San Pablo San Pablo City Hall, 13831 San Pablo Ave, 215-3055 San Pablo Senior Center, 1943 Church Ln, 215-3096 FREE Rechargeable Battery Recycling Program Call2Recycle has a free program for rechargeable batteries with thousands of drop-off locations! Never Throw in the Trash Button batteries sometimes contain mercury. Even if they don’t, they are banned from the trash because they contain other toxic and corrosive chemicals. Dispose of them as hazardous waste. Alternative Ways to Recycle Best Buy's Electronics and Appliances Recycling Program Best Buy will take back rechargeable batteries as well as the following: battery backups (ups), button batteries, cellphone batteries and laptop batteries. They do not accept single-use, car or other wet cell batteries. Find out more. The Battery Solutions Recycling Program Battery Solutions offers battery recycling kits and services to businesses, municipalities and residences. Their programs aim to help people recycle their batteries properly and conveniently. Learn more. The Big Green Box Battery Recycling Program The Big Green Box is a mail-in battery recycling program for both residences and businesses. Their system is simple: order a box, fill it up with your used batteries and then ship it back to the company’s EPA-approved recycling center. Learn more. Did You Know? Why Is Mercury Still in Batteries? Mercury is included in batteries for a reason: It’s used as a stabilizer and gives batteries a longer life. In 1996, the Mercury Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act prohibited the sale of mercury-oxide batteries in the U.S., except for select applications.
