Household Batteries

Household batteries may contain toxic metals and should never be put in your trash or Blue Bin.

New federal transportation regulations, aimed at reducing fires during transportation, prohibit the transport of mixed battery types. Now all rechargeable batteries must be individually wrapped in plastic bags or have their terminals taped.

The regulation changes mean changes are necessary for OCRRA’s battery collection practices. OCRRA household battery collection efforts will continue,
but your help is essential.

Battery Options:

1. Drop off at Wegmans and Green Hills Market. Battery collection boxes at these locations have separate collection containers for alkalines, zinc-carbons, rechargeables, and button batteries (including hearing aid and watch batteries).

• Deposit alkaline and zinc carbon 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 and Zinc-Carbon batteries ONLY.
Only ALKALINES and zinc-carbon 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 and ZINC-CARBON 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 the alkaline 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 Plant. That container is then transported to the Rock Cut Road Transfer Station where they are properly managed for recycling.

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, and button types. 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.)

 

• 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

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.

Rechargeable batteries may be dropped off at the locations listed 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, 432-1778
• Bodow Recycling, 1925 Park Street, 315 422-2552
• CNY Resource Recovery, 5879 Firestone Drive, 315 471-0254
• 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.