Why?

Every type of battery (household, commercial, car, cellular phone) is considered hazardous waste. It is dangerous and illegal to place batteries in any of your curbside collection carts. Batteries can be recycled, but require special handling and management by consumers.

What?

Tri-Cities Disposal & Recycling offers free curbside battery recycling for single-family residential customers. Business customers and those who live in multi-family complexes also have household battery recycling options within all of the communities we serve.

Single-family residential customers should review the graphic above and read the information below about how to correctly and safely recycle your household batteries and other types of batteries we all frequently use.

How?

Residential Customers

  • Collect your used household batteries in a one-quart zip-top bag

  • 9-volt batteries (rectangular in shape) should be taped at the top to cover the two terminals

  • Close the zip-top of the bag and place it ON TOP of your blue mixed recycling cart on collection day (DO NOT put bagged batteries inside of the cart!)

Other program requirements: Only one quart-sized bag of batteries will be collected per customer, per week. Bags containing items other than the batteries specified will not be collected. Batteries will not be collected for multi-family (apartment) or commercial (business) customers.

Multi-family Customers

Residents of multi-family complexes can take their household batteries to one of the collection locations in their city. There are many convenient locations spread throughout the Salinas Valley. There are locations at city hall offices, libraries, and hardware stores. All Salinas Valley Recycles landfill and transfer stations collect small quantities of household batteries from residential and multi-family customers. Click here to find the closest location in your area.

Businesses

If your business utilizes a universal waste service to collect other hazardous materials, contact them to see if you can include batteries in your collection program. Another recycling option for businesses that generate batteries is to bring them to the Sun Street Transfer Station in Salinas for safe disposal with their Household Hazardous Waste Facility. For a fee, they accept automotive batteries, household batteries, specialized batteries, and batteries from various types of communications and electronic devices.

SVR Household Hazardous Waste Facility
1104 Madison Lane, Salinas
Call for an appointment: 831-424-5520
Businesses may bring up to 25 gallons or 220 pounds per month for a fee of $1.50 per pound

How everyone can recycle other types of batteries:

  • Business and residential customers can return old car batteries to the auto parts store where the new battery was purchased

    • When you buy a new battery, you are charged a fee called a “core charge”

      • Save your purchase receipt and return the old battery for a refund of the core charge

    • Autoparts stores also accept old batteries without the purchase of a new battery

      • In most cases, a store credit will be issued instead of a cash refund of the core charge

  • Single-family and multi-family residents can bring batteries (including car batteries) to our free cleanup day events in their community. Read your mailer carefully for special instructions on bringing hazardous materials to these events.

Extended Producer Responsibility for Businesses:

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach under which producers are given significant responsibility for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer products. Click here to learn more about Extended Producer Responsibility programs in California.

If your business purchases specialized equipment and batteries from a commercial distributor, ask them to take back the old batteries for recycling in exchange for the replacement batteries you purchased. Implementing an EPR program across your business purchases can save your business time and money, and make recycling a breeze!