Battery recycling and disposal — where to take old batteries
Lead-acid car batteries have been banned from landfills for decades in forty of the fifty states we cover; Maryland, Alabama, Kansas, Montana, Oklahoma, Nevada, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming and Alaska are the exceptions. The new part is lithium: North Carolina bans lithium-ion batteries from landfills on December 1, 2026, and lithium batteries in power tools, e-bikes and vapes are a major source of fires at waste and recycling facilities, which saw 448 publicly reported fires in 2025 across the US and Canada, with losses over $2.5 billion (Fire Rover).
The state rule comes first
| State | Banned from landfills? | What that means for you |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | Lead-acid banned. Lithium-ion banned from Dec. 1, 2026. | Both are on the statutory ban list. The lithium addition is new and covers power tools, e-bikes, laptops and vapes. |
| Florida | Lead-acid banned | Prohibited from any landfill under FAC 62-701.300(8)(a)1. Lithium-ion is not separately banned — but no facility wants it. |
| Georgia | Lead-acid banned | Automobile batteries are prohibited from Georgia landfills and must be recycled under state law. |
| Texas | Lead-acid banned — since 1991 | Texas Health & Safety Code §361.451 bars anyone from putting a used lead-acid battery in municipal solid waste; it must go to a battery retailer or wholesaler, a lead smelter, or an authorized recycling facility. Retailers must take your old battery back (§361.452). Household batteries aren't banned, but most Texas landfills send them to household hazardous waste. |
| Ohio | Lead-acid banned — since April 25, 2008 | Ohio law bans lead-acid batteries from solid and hazardous waste landfills, and requires wholesalers and retailers to take your old battery back when you buy a new one. It covers batteries from vehicles, motorcycles, boats, wheelchairs and other motive power — batteries inside consumer electronics are exempt. Household batteries are not banned. |
| Tennessee | Lead-acid banned — since 1989 | It's illegal for any Tennessee landfill or incinerator to accept automobile batteries (Tenn. Code § 68-211-608), and a retailer that sells lead-acid batteries must take your old one as a trade-in. Every county also has to provide at least one site that takes them (§ 68-211-866). Household batteries aren't banned. |
| Virginia | Lead-acid banned — since 1990 | It's illegal to put a lead-acid battery in household trash or dispose of it except through a retailer, wholesaler, lead smelter or authorized recycler (Code of Virginia § 10.1-1425.1), and a retailer must take your old battery when you buy a new one (§ 10.1-1425.2). SPSA takes household and rechargeable batteries free at its hazardous waste sites for Hampton Roads residents. |
| South Carolina | Lead-acid banned — S.C. Code § 44-96-180 | It's illegal to put a lead-acid battery in household trash; it has to go to a battery retailer or wholesaler, a registered recycler or a lead smelter. Anyone who sells car batteries must take your old one and post a sign saying so. Every Spartanburg County recycling center takes car batteries, and Richland County takes them at its Caughman Road drop-off. |
| Arizona | Lead-acid banned — A.R.S. § 44-1322 | Landfills can't knowingly accept a lead-acid battery. Anyone selling them must take your old one at the counter and charge a refundable deposit on a new battery unless you return one within 45 days (§ 44-1323). Glendale's and Tucson's landfills won't take car batteries; Tucson takes household batteries at its hazardous waste drop-off. |
| California | All batteries banned from the trash, including lead-acid | California bans every battery from the trash, from AAs and button cells to car batteries. Anyone selling car batteries must take your old one free, up to six a day, and charge a refundable deposit on a new battery unless you return one within 45 days (Health and Safety Code § 25215.2). Kern County's Bena Landfill takes residents' household batteries free. |
| Washington | Lead-acid banned — RCW 70A.205.505 | No one may knowingly dispose of a vehicle battery except by taking it to a battery seller or another authorized handler, and landfills can't knowingly accept one. Sellers must take your old battery when you buy a new one and add a core charge of $5 or more if you don't trade one in, refundable if you bring an old battery and your receipt back within 30 days (RCW 70A.205.515). Seattle's transfer stations take vehicle batteries for recycling. |
| Oregon | Lead-acid banned — ORS 459.247 and 459.420 | A used lead-acid battery can go only to a battery retailer or wholesaler, an authorized collection or recycling site, or a lead smelter, never in the trash. Stores that sell them must take back at least as many used batteries as you buy new (ORS 459.422) and post a sign saying so, and each battery dumped illegally can draw a civil penalty of up to $500. Lane County and Douglas County transfer stations take car batteries free. |
| Colorado | Lead-acid banned — CDPHE prohibited-materials list | Lead-acid batteries can't go to a Colorado disposal site. Under the Colorado Battery Stewardship Act (SB 25-163), battery makers will fund free recycling of most household and rechargeable batteries, with collection starting in 2028; car batteries over 11 lbs aren't part of it. Until then, Larimer County takes household batteries free at its hazardous waste facility, and Chaffee County's landfill takes batteries for $8. |
| Maryland | No state ban on lead-acid | Maryland is the one state we cover with no law banning car batteries from landfills or making stores take them back; a 2013 bill to require it failed, and a 2025 battery recycling bill didn't pass either. Auto parts stores still take them, and counties collect them: Baltimore County's three drop-off centers take lead-acid and rechargeable batteries from residents, and Cecil County takes batteries free. |
| Wisconsin | Lead-acid banned (Wis. Stat. 287.07); most other batteries banned from January 1, 2028 | Car batteries have long been banned from Wisconsin landfills. A 2026 battery stewardship law (2025 Wisconsin Act 170) makes battery makers fund free collection of covered household batteries, and bans throwing those away starting January 1, 2028. Until then, Outagamie County takes batteries free at its drop-off site, and Winnebago County charges $1 for a car battery and nothing for rechargeables. |
| Minnesota | Yes — lead-acid since 1988, rechargeables since 1991 (Minn. Stat. 115A.915 and 115A.9157) | Car batteries can't go in the trash in Minnesota, and stores that sell them must take your old one back. Rechargeable batteries, lithium-ion included, have been banned from the trash since 1991, along with gadgets that still have them inside. Crow Wing and Becker counties take car batteries free, and Hennepin County's drop-offs take household batteries free. |
| Alabama | Not listed in ADEM's landfill rules | Alabama's landfill rules don't name car batteries, but the landfills turn them away anyway: Shelby County, Coffee County and the Morgan County Regional Landfill near Decatur all refuse batteries. Take a car battery to an auto parts store. In Huntsville, the Solid Waste Disposal Authority's drive-through hazardous waste facility takes household and car batteries. |
| Utah | Yes: lead-acid (Utah Code 19-6-602) | Car batteries can't go in any Utah landfill or transfer station; they go back to a battery retailer, wholesaler or recycler. Box Elder County's landfill takes them free, and North Pointe's transfer station in Lindon takes car, RV and household batteries free with household hazardous waste. |
| Iowa | Yes: lead-acid, since July 1, 1990 (Iowa Code 455D.10) | Car batteries can't go in an Iowa landfill, and stores that sell them must take your old one back when you buy a new one. Linn County residents drop off household batteries free at the Solid Waste Agency, and Iowa City and Boone County won't bury batteries at all. |
| Kansas | No state lead-acid ban found | We found no Kansas law keeping car batteries out of landfills, but landfills keep them out anyway: Wichita's Brooks Landfill charges $50 for one left in a load. Sedgwick County residents drop off batteries free at the county's household hazardous waste facility, and Lyon County's hazardous waste department in Emporia takes them too. |
| Idaho | Yes: lead-acid (Idaho Code 39-7002) | Car batteries can't go in an Idaho landfill, and stores that sell them must take your old one back. Ada County's hazardous waste facility takes car and rechargeable batteries free from residents, and the Twin Falls area stations take batteries free. |
| Connecticut | Yes: lead-acid (Conn. Gen. Stat. 22a-256g) | A car battery can't go in the trash, with a fine of up to $1,000 a battery; it's recycled through a deposit program where you buy a new one. Norwalk's transfer station takes car batteries free, and Guilford's takes household batteries free. |
| New York | Yes: lead-acid (N.Y. Envtl. Conserv. Law 27-1701) | A car battery can't go in the trash, and every retailer that sells them must take up to two used batteries a month from anyone, free. Orange County's transfer stations also take car batteries free. |
| New Hampshire | Yes: car (wet-cell) batteries, and lithium-ion batteries since July 1, 2025 (RSA 149-M:27) | Neither can go in the trash. Town transfer stations take car batteries free in Nashua, Goffstown and Manchester, and Goffstown also takes household and lithium batteries free. |
| Maine | Yes: lead-acid batteries can't be buried, burned or dumped (38 M.R.S. § 1604) | Stores that sell car batteries must take used ones back, with a $10 deposit if you don't bring one in. Saco's transfer station takes car batteries free; South Portland charges $5. |
| Montana | No state ban | Most sites set car batteries aside for recycling: Helena has a container in its recycling area, the Miles City landfill takes them free, and Lincoln County's landfills take them. Auto parts stores take them back too. |
| New Mexico | Yes: no lead-acid batteries at any landfill or incinerator (20.9.2.10 NMAC) | Take car batteries to an auto parts store or a site that collects them, like Alamogordo's collection center; Albuquerque's Cerro Colorado Landfill lists them as prohibited. |
| Oklahoma | No state ban: stores that sell lead-acid batteries must post that they take them back | Return car batteries where you buy a new one; Oklahoma City's hazardous waste center, Stillwater's convenience center and Ponca City's recycling center also take them. |
| New Jersey | Yes: it's illegal to discard an automotive or marine lead-acid battery (N.J.S.A. 13:1E-199 et seq.) | Stores that sell them must take your old one back when you buy a new one; Salem County's convenience center and the Sussex County facility also take them. |
| Nebraska | Yes: lead-acid batteries and waste oil can't be buried (Neb. Rev. Stat. 13-2039) | Return car batteries where you buy a new one; Lincoln's North 48th Street station sorts them out for recycling. |
| Nevada | No outright ban: only at sites permitted to take them (NRS 444.583) | Stores that sell car batteries must take used ones back; the Carson City Landfill recycles them free. |
| Indiana | Yes: landfills can't accept lead-acid batteries (329 IAC 10-9-2) | County hazardous waste programs take them, including Lawrence County's Recycling Center in Bedford and Elkhart County's monthly collection day; the Washington County Landfill has its own spot for them. |
| Arkansas | Yes: it's illegal to discard a car or marine battery (Ark. Code 8-9-303) | Stores that sell them must take your old one and charge a $10 deposit if you don't return one within 30 days; Garland County's landfill and Fort Smith's hazardous waste facility take them free. |
| Michigan | Yes: lead-acid batteries are banned from landfills (NREPA Part 115, Section 11514) | Stores and auto shops that sell batteries generally take old ones back; Oceana County's transfer station takes them for $8. |
| Kentucky | Yes: lead-acid batteries are banned from mixed waste and landfills (KRS 224.50-410); from June 30, 2027 household and rechargeable batteries can't go in trash or recycling containers either | Daviess County takes car batteries free when separated; Louisville's Haz Bin takes all kinds free from residents. |
| Pennsylvania | Yes: lead-acid batteries are banned from household trash (Act 101 of 1988, Section 1510) | Stores that sell car batteries take old ones back, and Philadelphia's convenience centers take car and rechargeable batteries from residents. |
| Louisiana | Yes: lead-acid batteries are banned from household trash (R.S. 30:2419), and stores that sell them must take old ones back | Jefferson Parish's Marrero and Metairie drop-offs and Calcasieu Parish's convenience centers take car batteries; the Baton Rouge and Shreveport landfills don't. |
| West Virginia | Yes: it's unlawful to dispose of lead-acid batteries in a landfill (W.Va. Code 22-15A-22) | Return them to a store that sells batteries or a scrap recycler; Greenbrier County's landfill turns batteries away. |
| Missouri | Yes: lead-acid batteries are banned from solid waste disposal (RSMo 260.250) | Return them to a store that sells batteries or a scrap recycler; Springfield's and St. Joseph's landfills turn them away. |
| Massachusetts | Yes: lead-acid batteries are on MassDEP's waste ban list (310 CMR 19.017) | Worcester's drop-off center takes car batteries for $5, and Barnstable recycles batteries free with a permit. |
| Mississippi | Yes: lead-acid batteries are banned from landfill disposal (MDEQ) | The store that sells you a new car battery has to take back the old one; DeSoto County's rubbish pits won't take batteries. |
| Illinois | Yes: lead-acid batteries have been banned from landfills since September 1, 1990 | Trade the old battery in when you buy a new one, or sell it to a salvage yard or recycler. |
| Vermont | Yes: lead-acid batteries since 1990, and all batteries by 2024 | Stowe charges $1 for a car battery; the Addison County district takes batteries free. |
| Rhode Island | Yes: vehicle batteries may go only to a dealer, Resource Recovery or a licensed recycler (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-60-6) | Resource Recovery and North Kingstown's transfer station charge $6 a battery. |
| Delaware | No state landfill ban found | DSWA's free recycling drop-offs take household batteries; auto parts stores take car batteries back. |
| South Dakota | No state landfill ban (stores must take them back) | Sellers of car batteries must accept a used one for each one sold (SDCL 34A-6-91). Some landfills, like Watertown's, refuse batteries. |
| North Dakota | Yes, with used motor oil (NDCC 23.1-08-08) | Stores that sell lead-acid batteries must take used ones as trade-ins; Fargo residents can leave them free at the landfill's Residential Transfer Station. |
| Wyoming | No state landfill ban found | Campbell County's landfill takes car and rechargeable batteries free; Laramie and Sheridan recycle them. |
| Alaska | No state landfill ban found | DEC treats lead-acid batteries as hazardous waste to keep out of the trash; Mat-Su sites take car batteries free, Anchorage charges $5. |
| Hawaii | Yes (HRS 342I-1) | Lead-acid batteries go back to a retailer, wholesaler or permitted recycler; Oʻahu's transfer stations accept them. |
Sources: NC G.S. 130A-309.10; Florida Administrative Code 62-701.300; Georgia Code §12-8-28; Texas Health & Safety Code §§361.451–.452; Ohio Revised Code 3734.911–.912; Tennessee Code §§ 68-211-608 and 68-211-866; S.C. Code § 44-96-180; A.R.S. §§ 44-1322 and 44-1323; RCW 70A.205.505 and 70A.205.515; ORS 459.247, 459.420 to 459.426 and 459.995; CDPHE, materials prohibited from landfill disposal and Colorado SB 25-163; MDE, household hazardous waste; Wis. Stat. § 287.07 and 2025 Wisconsin Act 170; Minn. Stat. § 115A.915 and 115A.9157; ADEM Admin. Code r. 335-13-4-.21; Utah Code § 19-6-602; Iowa Code § 455D.10; Idaho Code § 39-7002; Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22a-256g; N.Y. Envtl. Conserv. Law § 27-1701; N.H. RSA 149-M:27; 38 M.R.S. § 1604; MCA Title 75, ch. 10; 20.9.2.10 NMAC; Okla. Stat. tit. 27A; N.J.S.A. 13:1E-199 et seq.; Neb. Rev. Stat. 13-2039; NRS 444.583; 329 IAC 10-9-2; Ark. Code 8-9-303; NREPA Part 115 § 11514; KRS 224.50-410; Act 101 of 1988 § 1510; La. R.S. 30:2419; W.Va. Code § 22-15A-22; RSMo 260.250; MassDEP waste bans (310 CMR 19.017); MDEQ battery FAQ; Illinois EPA household waste disposal; Vermont DEC disposal bans (10 V.S.A. § 6621a); R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-60-6; California Health and Safety Code § 25215.2 and CalRecycle, waste banned from the trash. Fire data: Fire Rover, via Resource Recycling, 2026. Verified September 2026.
Find a disposal site near you
Enter your city or ZIP for the closest facilities. Batteries go to household hazardous waste, not the landfill — call first to confirm.
Tape the terminals — this is not optional
A loose lithium or button battery rattling against metal in a bag can short out and catch fire. This is the single biggest cause of fires in garbage trucks and recycling facilities, and it's why the bans exist at all.
Put a piece of clear tape over the terminals of any lithium, button, or 9-volt battery before you transport it. It takes ten seconds. Alkaline AAs are far less risky, but taping costs you nothing.
- Tape the terminals of lithium, button and 9V batteries — 9Vs are notorious because both terminals sit side by side.
- Never crush, puncture or bin a swollen lithium battery. A bulging phone or laptop battery is a fire waiting to happen — take it to hazardous waste promptly.
- Bag battery types separately if you have a lot.
- Car batteries are a different animal — see below.
Car batteries: take them back to the store
Vehicle batteries almost never go to a landfill or a hazardous waste center at all. Auto parts stores take them, and most pay you a core refund of several dollars for the privilege — the lead is worth real money.
If you bought a replacement battery, the store usually charges you a core fee up front and refunds it when you bring the old one back. That's an errand that pays, unlike every other item in this guide.
The easiest option for AAs and phone batteries
Many hardware stores, home improvement chains and phone retailers keep a battery recycling bin near the entrance, free to use and open whenever they are. For a handful of household batteries that beats scheduling a hazardous waste trip.
For a big box of accumulated batteries, your city's household hazardous waste center is still the right call, and it is free for residents in most places.
Common questions
Can I throw batteries in the trash?
You shouldn't, and most landfills explicitly refuse them, whether or not the state has a formal ban. Lithium cells cause fires in trucks and transfer stations. Use a household hazardous waste drop-off or a retail recycling bin.
Why do I need to tape battery terminals?
A loose battery can short against metal and ignite. Lithium, button and 9-volt batteries are the worst offenders because their terminals are exposed and close together. Clear tape over the terminals prevents it and takes seconds.
Where do I take a car battery?
An auto parts store. They accept them and typically pay a core refund of several dollars because the lead is valuable. Don't take a car battery to a landfill.
Is battery disposal free?
Yes for residents in most cities. Most city environmental service centers and county household hazardous waste sites take household batteries free with proof of address.