Recycle batteries, mobile phones and light bulbs

Learn how to recycle these items in the easiest and most convenient ways.

Free

Project Status: When you need to do this

If you have old batteries, mobile phones or light bulbs, you can recycle them safely using the options below.

Household Chemical CleanOut - Saturday 15 October

Drop off household chemicals, paint, cleaning products, batteries and more at our next Household Chemical CleanOut, 9am to 3.30pm on Saturday 15 October at Alexandra Canal Depot. Find out what's accepted.

Different models of old and broken mobile phones with a charger cord and cables. Household lightbulbs. Taped household batteries.

How to recycle batteries

Always follow the safety advice and tape battery terminals to reduce fire hazards.

If the batteries are leaking but otherwise look normal: put on gloves, tape the battery terminals on both ends and place leaking batteries in a clear plastic bag. After handling, dispose of your gloves and wash your hands to remove any residue.

Recycle them at:
- Household Chemical CleanOut events
- community recycling centres.
If the batteries are badly damaged, swollen or bulging:
- They must be safely managed as they could be a fire risk.
- Don’t bring these batteries to drop-off locations.
- Place the batteries in a fire resistant container, such as a glass jar. Contact a B-cycle accredited collector for advice on safe disposal.
- Never throw them in your household rubbish or recycling bins.
Avoid battery damage with these safety tips.
These include:
- rechargeable and non-rechargeable
- small handheld batteries from any brand
- AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, 6V lantern, watch and button batteries.
Tape the battery terminals on both ends and recycle them through:
- our recycling stations in customer service centres, libraries, community and recreation centres
- a doorstep Power Pickup with RecycleSmart
- Recycle It Saturday drop-off events
- Household Chemical CleanOut events
- shops such as Aldi, Officeworks and Woolworths
- a B-cycle drop-off point.
Including batteries in:
- power tools
- hoverboards or electric bikes
- cordless vacuums.
Recycle them at:
- Recycle It Saturday drop-off events
- Household Chemical CleanOut events
- community recycling centres.
Tape the battery terminals and recycle them at:
- Recycle It Saturday drop-off events
- Household Chemical CleanOut events
- community recycling centres
- some service stations, car workshops and scrap metal dealers – search for your nearest drop-off location
- Battery World.

Battery safety

These safety tips apply to all batteries, including AA, AAA, button batteries, lithium/rechargeable batteries and batteries with 2 terminals at the same end, like 9V batteries.

Tape battery terminals (the end bits) with regular, non-conductive tape, like duct tape, clear sticky tape or electrical tape. It’s important that battery terminals don’t touch each other, as this can cause them to spark and ignite.
Don’t cover the brand name or battery chemistry information.
Store used batteries in a clearly labelled glass container. Make sure the container is not airtight, as pressure can build up. Don’t store batteries in a paper bag, in a metal container, or with metal objects as this creates a fire hazard.
Keep batteries in a cool, dry place, away from a heat source. For example, don’t store them in direct sunlight or near the microwave.
Keep batteries away from children, especially small batteries that can be swallowed, such as button batteries.
Transport used batteries to a drop-off point in a glass container. Empty your batteries at the drop-off point and take your glass container home to reuse for collecting more batteries.
Don’t store batteries longer than 6 months. Drop off your collected batteries regularly.
Don’t drop off badly damaged, swollen or bulging batteries. Place them in a fireproof container, such as a glass container, and contact a B-cycle accredited collector for advice.

How to recycle mobile phones and their accessories

You can recycle all types of mobile phones plus their chargers, cables, batteries kept in the phone, and headphones through:

our recycling stations in customer service centres, libraries, community and recreation centres
a doorstep Power Pickup with RecycleSmart
Recycle It Saturday drop-off events
MobileMuster collection points – drop-off and free mailing options available.

Don’t forget to delete your data. Make sure all data is permanently wiped from your device before you recycle or give it away.

If your mobile is working, consider finding it a new home first. You could give it away or try advertising online through Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, Trading Post, eBay or Freecycle.

How to recycle light bulbs

Always wrap light bulbs in newspaper and transport them in a bag or box so they don't break.

Not including fluorescent tubes.

Recycle them through:
- our recycling stations in customer service centres, libraries, community and recreation centres
- a doorstep Power Pickup with RecycleSmart
- Recycle It Saturday drop-off events
- Household Chemical CleanOut events.
Recycle them through:
- Recycle It Saturday drop-off events
- Household Chemical CleanOut events
- community recycling centres.

Two people disposing of small items at our recycling station on the lower ground of Green Square Library.

Where to find our recycling stations

Old household batteries, mobile phones, small light bulbs (excluding fluorescent tubes) and small electronics (less than 11cm wide) can be taken to recycling stations at one of the locations below.

Customer service centres

Libraries

Community and recreation centres

Cliff Noble Community Centre - Alexandria
Juanita Neilson Community Centre - Woolloomooloo
King George V (KGV) Recreation Centre - The Rocks
Perry Park Recreation Centre - Alexandria
Redfern Community Centre - Redfern
Ron Williams Community Centre - Redfern
Ultimo Community Centre - Ultimo

After you finish

Our contractor collects and recycles the items locally, using state-of-the-art processes and facilities.

In their next life:

Old batteries can come back as brand new ones, depending on their chemistry. For example, lead acid batteries contain lead, acid and plastic casings, which can be recycled into new batteries or used in other industrial applications. Alkaline and zinc carbon batteries include zinc and manganese, which can be recycled and used in agricultural fertiliser and steel making.
Over 90% of mobile phone contents, which includes gold, silver and palladium, can be recovered and returned to the supply chain to make new products.
Light bulbs can be broken down and recycled into glass wool insulation. The mercury is safely recovered for other uses, such as in thermometers and new electronic devices.

Why it’s important to recycle it right

Recycling your batteries, mobile phones and light bulbs helps capture precious resources, which reduces the need to mine raw materials. The batteries, mobile phones and light bulbs we collect are diverted from landfill and raw materials are recovered and recycled.

Batteries in your rubbish or recycling bin can cause fires in our collection trucks and harm our community. Button batteries left around the home can be accidentally swallowed by children and cause serious injury or death.

If batteries, mobile phones or light bulbs are placed in your yellow or red lid bins, they can contaminate recyclable materials, leach toxic chemicals into our soil and contaminate the source of our drinking water.