Battery Recycling

Each year, American consumers buy, use and throw away billions of batteries. Some batteries contain toxic metals such as mercury, lead and cadmium, which can pose a potential threat to human health and the environment if improperly disposed.  

Batteries should be recycled. Recycling keeps heavy metals out of landfills and the air. Recycling also conserves resources because the metals recovered from batteries can be used to make new products.

Battery recycling locations

Hennepin County accepts all types of household batteries at the following locations:

• County drop-off facilities 
• Battery drop-off containers at libraries, city halls, community centers and other sites throughout the county. 

Batteries are collected from households only; no batteries are accepted from businesses.

Additional battery recycling options

• The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation lists additional drop-off sites for rechargeable batteries.
• Minneapolis solid waste and recycling customers can set out household batteries on your recycling day. Place batteries in a clear plastic bag on top or inside your recycling bin.

See the A to Z How-to-Get-Rid-of-It Guide for more disposal information.

Preparing your batteries for recycling

• Remove the batteries from the device. If you cannot remove the battery, bring in the entire device.
• Place clear tape over terminals or place each battery in its own plastic bag to prevent short-circuiting.

Battery safety tips

• Recycle your batteries soon after you’re done using them. Batteries may rust or leak after long periods of storage. If a battery appears to be dirty or have a white, film-like substance around the terminals, use caution when handling the battery and do not touch the dirty area. Place it in a bag before recycling.
• Wash your hands with soap and water after handling batteries.

Products that contain batteries

Many products we use every day have batteries. Remember that anything that makes sounds, lights up or turns on without being plugged in contains a battery.

Common products that contain batteries include:

• Calculators
• Camcorders
• Cameras
• Cell phones and cordless phones
• Cordless shavers and groomers
• Electric toothbrushes
• Electronic games
• Fire and smoke detectors
• Flashlights and lanterns
• Garage door openers
• Hearing aids
• Laptop computers
• Power tools
• Radios
• Remote controls
• Remote control toys
• Solar-powered lights
• Musical greeting cards
• Toys
• Watches

Reduce waste by using rechargeable batteries

Rechargeable batteries can be recharged 500 to 1,000 times. Once they wear out, a recycling facility can take them apart to recover the metals. Although the initial cost of rechargeable batteries is higher, you will save money and reduce waste in the long run.

Battery recycling partners

Hennepin County has partnered with the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) since 1996 to recycle more than 280,000 pounds of rechargeable batteries. RBRC offsets the collection and recycling costs of rechargeable batteries collected through Hennepin County’s battery recycling program.

In 2012, Hennepin County is participating in a pilot non-rechargeable battery recycling program with the Corporation for Battery Recycling, a non-profit comprised of the five major primary battery manufacturers in the North American market (Duracell, Energizer, Kodak, Rayovac and Panasonic). The Corporation for Battery Recycling is covering the costs of recycling non-rechargeable batteries collected through the county’s battery collection program. 

Recycling batteries from businesses

Batteries from businesses are not accepted at Hennepin County battery recycling locations. See managing universal wastes and our commercial hazardous waste pages for information on managing batteries from a business.