Household battery recycling

If these batteries are tossed out with your kerbside rubbish or recycling, the hazardous substances they contain could cause a fire in the collection truck or the recycling plant. If they end up in the landfill, these substances may leak out and into surrounding soil and ground water.

Battery disposal options

So if they don’t belong in household bins, where should they go? You’ll have to drop them off either at a hazardous waste collection site – typically located at your council’s transfer station or landfill – or with a battery recycling scheme (see our Table).

If you choose the former, the batteries are treated to stabilise them. They’re often encased in concrete, which then goes to landfill, to prevent them leaching.

A major issue is there are no companies capable of recycling batteries in New Zealand – they have to be shipped overseas, often to Australia or Japan.

However, landfill isn’t the best option as some substances in household batteries are rare and valuable. If we want to make the switch to electric cars, we’ll need to preserve metals such as lithium, as it powers the vehicles’ rechargeable batteries. Demand for lithium saw the average US price double between 2016 and 2018.

Unfortunately, battery recycling is still in its infancy here. An estimated 0.2% of household batteries purchased across the country are recovered and re-processed to make new products, according to a 2013 report.

A major issue is there are no companies capable of recycling batteries in New Zealand – they have to be shipped overseas, often to Australia or Japan.

This means batteries collected here aren’t guaranteed to be recycled any time soon. Many types are being stored at central depots until recycling becomes financially viable (see our Table). Companies we spoke to said this will require an affordable overseas recycler that accepts the battery and sufficient quantities for shipping or an onshore plant.

Free or fee?

The majority of the 77 drop-off points we surveyed accept batteries at no charge. Seventeen always charge a fee, typically by weight. If you’re being asked to part with cash and the reason for the charge isn’t clear, ask what the money’s used for.

Most schemes accept all 10 types of household batteries, despite the issues with recycling viability. This makes it easier for consumers, so they don’t have to try to tell a non-rechargeable lithium battery from a rechargeable lithium-ion one.

There are a few exceptions: Nelson City Council’s service centre and transfer station, Tasman District Council transfer stations and Raglan’s Xtreme Zero Waste facility only accept specific types of battery.

Battery recycling schemes

Please select your region from the drop-down list.

GUIDE TO THE TABLE Drop-off points listed in alphabetical order, by region. Exporting e-waste is a permitted activity and companies currently exporting batteries were asked for confirmation of permits. Drop-off points were not included if export permits were not confirmed. Table does not include annual waste collection events. STORED indicates batteries stored at central depot (Abilities in Auckland, E-Cycle in Auckland, Ecotech in Christchurch or IT Recycla in Auckland and Wellington) for recycling at an unspecified future date. Kawerau and Ruapehu District Councils and the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre store batteries at own facilities. ᴬlithium iron phosphate batteries not collected. ᴮservice for residents only.

“Free from” claims

We examined the environmental claims you might spot on a packet of household batteries.

“Zero mercury” or “zero percent mercury”: Button-shaped and hearing aid batteries may contain mercury, which is a toxic heavy metal. It’s rarer for AA or AAA batteries (some of which carry this claim) to contain the substance, as manufacturers phased out its use.

“No cadmium”: Cadmium is another heavy metal used in rechargeable batteries. We spotted this claim on single-use batteries, which never contain cadmium, and think it could potentially mislead consumers. We’d call this a case of greenwashing.

“No lead”: Lead is primarily found in vehicle batteries. We found this promo on a pack of single-use AAA – again, we suspect this has the potential to mislead consumers about the materials used by other brands.

“Earth friendly: zero added toxic substances”: This claim was on a pack of zinc carbon batteries. Zinc is a common metal and isn’t as hazardous as some other substances found in batteries, but it doesn’t get a complete pass. The land and water around rubbish dumps is routinely tested for 27 substances and compounds, including zinc, to monitor for adverse environmental effects.