Household Batteries
Household batteries may contain toxic metals and should never be put in your trash or Blue Bin.
Recent New York State Law mandates that rechargeable batteries be recycled. Trashing rechargeable batteries is now an offense that can land you with a fine.
How to properly manage ALL types of batteries, year-round:
1. Drop off at Wegmans and Green Hills Market. Battery collection boxes at these locations have separate collection containers for alkalines (including non-rechargeable lithiums and zinc-carbons), rechargeables and button batteries (including hearing aid and watch batteries).
This drop off is for households only, batteries from businesses are not accepted.
Click here for business options.
• Deposit alkaline, zinc carbon and non-rechargeable lithium batteries in the large container. They do NOT have to be put in individual plastic bags.
• Put each rechargeable battery in an individual plastic bag (provided) and
place in the special container labeled "Rechargeable Batteries."
• Place button batteries in the container labeled "Button Batteries."
The button batteries do NOT have to be in plastic bags.
2. July Curbside Collection = Alkalines, Zinc-Carbon and Non-Rechargeable Lithium Batteries ONLY.
Only ALKALINES, zinc-carbon and non-rechargeable lithium batteries go in the YELLOW bags for the July collection. No rechargeable or button types can be accepted as a result of the new federal regulations.
How the Curbside Collection works: During the month of July, OCRRA also teams up with local waste haulers to do a special door-to-door battery collection. OCRRA provides residents with highly visible YELLOW “battery bags” and your hauler picks them up on regular trash collection days.
To get a battery bag, please email us – in the email, provide your name, address, and zip code. We’ll be happy to mail a battery bag to you! Please note: If you have an old ORANGE battery bag, from a previous year hanging around, you can still use that. No need to get a new yellow bag if you still have an orange one that can be used.
Simply fill the yellow battery bag with your ALKALINE, ZINC-CARBON or NON-RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM batteries. No rechargeable or button batteries are allowed. Place the battery bag on top of your closed trash bag or trash container lid. Please DO NOT place them inside your trash can or trash bag, nor in your Blue Bin.
Haulers collect these batteries separately from the trash and recyclables and deposit the “battery bags” in a special battery container, prior to unloading their trash trucks at the Waste-to-Energy Facility. That container is then transported to the Rock Cut Road Transfer Station where they are properly managed.
3. Drop off at the Rock Cut Road Transfer Station. Batteries can also be dropped off at OCRRA’s Rock Cut Road Transfer Station. Please separate rechargeable batteries from alkalines, zinc-carbons, non-rechargeable lithium and button batteries. Put each rechargeable in a separate plastic bag.
4. Over 50 Locations Accept Rechargeable Batteries. Over 50 local places accept rechargeable batteries for recycling at no charge. For a comprehensive list click here.
Put rechargeable batteries in individual plastic bags (provided) and place in special container labeled “Rechargeable Batteries.”
How To Tell Battery Types Apart
• Alkalines come in many different shapes and sizes. They are the typical household battery you would use in a remote control, radio, toy, smoke detector, etc. (AA, AAA, C, D, 6V, 9V, etc.) Some rechargeable batteries look a lot like alkalines and the only way to tell the difference is to read the label.
• Button batteries are small, flat, circular batteries often found in hearing aids, watches, calculators, etc. Don’t let their size fool you, they contain more heavy metals than most larger batteries, so it is very important to recycle them.
• Rechargeables are found in power tools, laptops, phones, and other electronic equipment, etc. Also, some look like alkalines, but are rechargeable; check labels to determine if they are rechargeable.
Annually, OCRRA’s battery
collection programs collect 80,000 lbs. or 40 tons of material!
If you are a business looking to recycle your batteries, click here.
Rechargeable
batteries
New York State Law now mandates that rechargeable batteries be recycled. Trashing rechargeable batteries is an offense that can land you with a fine.
By recycling your used rechargeable batteries, you are helping to create a
cleaner and safer environment by keeping harmful rechargeable battery by-products
out of the solid waste stream.
The following rechargeable battery chemistries can be recycled:Nickel Cadmium
(Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-ion), and Small Sealed
Lead* (Pb).
Look for the Battery Recycling Seal on the battery.
Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH),
Lithium Ion (Li-ion),
and Small Sealed Lead*(Pb) rechargeable batteries are commonly found in cordless
power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, and camcorders.
Drop off rechargeable batteries here.
Please call to verify location still accepts batteries, and to learn about proper packaging / taping of rechargeable batteries, prior to drop-off.
You can
also drop-off rechargeable batteries at OCRRA's Rock
Cut Road Transfer Station.
Please separate rechargeable batteries from alkalines and button types. Put each rechargeable in a separate plastic bag.
Car batteries
Car batteries may be returned to any dealer who sells them, regardless of
whether you bought it there or not. The following locations may even pay you
a few cents per pound for old car batteries:
- Battery World, 6581 Townline Road,
315 432-1778
- Bodow Recycling, 1925 Park Street, 315 422-2552
- CNY Resource Recovery,
5879 Firestone Drive, 315 471-0254
- Metalico Aluminum Recovery Inc, 6225 Thompson Road, 315-575-7428
- Syracuse Material Recovery, 301 Peat Street, 315 476-0800
Business battery recycling
If you are a business interested in properly disposing of your batteries, you have several options.
1) Search the internet for companies that do "business battery recycling." There are many vendors that offer mail back programs.
2) Environmental Products and Services is a local company that can give you more information on business battery disposal.
