Batteries
What items can we take?
This category includes all used household batteries. Please tape battery terminals for safety, particularly 9-volt, lithium, and any large batteries.
Alkaline batteries
Rechargeable batteries
Small electronics batteries
Hearing aid batteries
What isn’t in this category?
Here are some batteries we can't take.
Car batteries
Lead acid batteries
Batteries.
Your spent batteries contain valuable materials that can be reclaimed for recycling! We take your used batteries, and our partner separates the chemicals from the metals to be used for building other products.
This category includes all batteries that you would use around the house. All the batteries we collect are recycled, so if you have new batteries that you don't need, we recommend gifting them via your local Buy Nothing group!
Why use Ridwell?
When you put your batteries in your Ridwell bag, you know that they will be responsibly recycled with our vetted partners!
Ridwell takes two of the most common types of household batteries: alkaline and lithium. Alkaline batteries have a steel casing that can be recovered and recycled with other scrap metals, while the manganese and zinc electrodes inside can be used as ingredients in making fertilizer.
Lithium batteries include the rechargeable batteries found in electronics and round button batteries. Their next life begins when they are split open using a shredder or a high-speed hammer, then submerged in a caustic water that neutralizes the electrolytes and allows the recovery of the metals. The remaining solution is processed to create materials for new batteries.
Partnering with Ecolights
EcoLights NW began in 1996 in Seattle, WA with a small dedicated team focused on the proper end of life handling of fluorescent and other light bulbs, lighting ballasts, and batteries of all chemistries and types. Their mission is to recycle as much of the resources in these materials as reasonably possible so that it can be reused in the circular economy, and to prevent the toxic components from being released to the environment.
FAQ
Should I do anything differently if I have a lot of batteries to recycle?
We pick up your batteries every two weeks which we hope makes it easy to clear them out of your home regularly!
For safe storage of lots of batteries, please use electrical or clear tape to cover the terminals of your batteries (particularly 9-volt, lithium, and any large batteries) to prevent them from coming into contact with each other.
Can you take corroded batteries?
Yes! If your batteries are damaged or corroded, we recommend placing them in separate plastic bags in your battery bag (we’ll recycle these as well).