What We Know About Battery Recycling
In our monthly Rethink Waste Project e-newsletter, we do our best to answer a question from the community regarding waste and what to do with it. A common question that pops up quite a bit is what to do with spent batteries. After doing some research, we’ve compiled a few helpful resources and tips to more fully answer this question, depending on the kind of batteries you are disposing of. Read on to learn more about battery disposal, plus how to submit your waste-related questions for future e-newsletters!
Question: What should we do about batteries? We have a jar of them piling up in our house and I always get confused whether those go in the trash, should be recycled, or if I can return them somewhere.
Answer: This is a really common question we get! We had this question from a community member at Music on the Green in Redmond earlier this month, and I’ll be honest that I often get confused as well. So here’s the definitive answer and a helpful reminder!
First off, please be aware that fires from exploding lithium batteries is a growing concern at Knott Landfill. Please don’t put lithium ion or other rechargeable batteries in the garbage.
For info on recycling batteries, a handy site is Call2Recycle.
According to it, for our region, you can recycle single-use batteries, rechargeable batteries, and cell phones at Staples. You can drop them off at the cashier station. We spoke to an associate at Staples who shared the process from their store side: “All the batteries go into a big steel barrel, which when full is covered with some kind of dust to prevent them from colliding, before being sealed and shipped.” What happens next? You can learn more on Call2Reycle’s Explore the Secret Life of Batteries page. It mentions the used alkaline batteries are recycled into “steel and new products such as sun screen and road asphalt aggregate”. Super interesting, and something we may have to learn more about and cover in the future!
For disposal options through Deschutes County Solid Waste, you can also refer to their Hazardous Waste Management page, with the added caveat that even though you are able to put single-use alkaline batteries in the garbage, if you’re unsure of battery type or prefer, Knott Landfill or any of the transfer stations can also collect them for safe disposal.
Lots of links and info, but we hope that left you energized and ready to take charge of all your piled up batteries! 
Have a question about local reduce, reuse, and recycling systems? Reach out and ask! It’s likely others in the community are wondering the same thing! You can send waste-specific questions to our Rethink Waste Program Manager, Kavi Chokshi– kavi@envirocenter.org.