The short answer. A Georgia business disposes of lithium-ion batteries by keeping them out of every ordinary bin, isolating the terminals, and handing them to a recycler that accepts them as universal waste. American Resources collects lithium-ion batteries and the devices that contain them from businesses across metro Atlanta, along with the rest of the electronics from the same cleanout.
Lithium-ion batteries are in more of your equipment than the inventory says: laptops, phones, tablets, cordless tools, barcode scanners, headsets, backup units, and the small cells inside cameras and sensors. The EPA's list runs from "electronics, toys, wireless headphones, handheld power tools, small and large appliances" to "electric vehicles and electrical energy storage systems." They are the one item in an office cleanout that can start a fire after it leaves the building.
#Why they never go in the dumpster
The EPA's position is direct: "Most lithium-ion batteries when discarded would likely be considered ignitable and reactive hazardous wastes (carrying the waste codes D001 and D003, respectively)." The risk is physical. A battery "disposed of in the trash or placed in the municipal recycling bin with household recyclables such as plastic, paper or glass" may "become damaged or crushed in transport or from processing and sorting equipment, creating a fire hazard." The EPA counted the results: 64 waste facilities with 245 fires "caused by, or likely caused by, lithium metal or lithium-ion batteries" between 2013 and 2020, in 28 states.
#The route Georgia businesses use: universal waste
Federal rules let businesses handle some common hazardous wastes under simpler "universal waste" rules instead of the full hazardous waste regime, and the EPA confirms that "both rechargeable lithium-ion and single use lithium primary batteries can be managed as universal waste." Georgia adopts the federal universal waste regulation "by reference" into its own hazardous waste rules. In practice that means a business can accumulate spent batteries, label the container, keep them from short-circuiting, and send them to a recycler within the time limits, without becoming a hazardous waste generator for those batteries. One condition matters for damaged units: a handler "may only manage broken or damaged hazardous waste batteries as universal wastes if the breakage or damage does not constitute a breach in an individual cell casing." A battery with a split cell is outside that route.
#How to store them until pickup
The EPA's handling advice is the same for a business as for a household. "Place each battery or device containing a battery in a separate plastic bag. Place non-conductive tape (e.g., electrical tape) over the battery's terminals." The EPA's guidance for handlers uses the same idea: "isolating the terminals of the batteries with non-conductive tape, plastic bags, or other separation techniques." Keep the container away from heat and away from the paper recycling. Do not pile loose batteries in a metal bin, where terminals touch.
Swollen, hot, leaking or dented batteries are a separate category. Move them out of the building into a non-flammable container, do not tape a swollen cell, and tell the recycler before pickup. The EPA's advice is to "contact the battery or device manufacturer for specific handling information." The Department of Transportation notes that "damaged, defective, or recalled batteries have greater potential than undamaged lithium batteries to short circuit, to release heat, or even to cause a fire."
#If you ship them yourself
Lithium batteries are "regulated as a hazard material under the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 C.F.R., Parts 171-180)," and the EPA is explicit that these rules apply to spent batteries too: "Department of Transportation regulations for shipping lithium batteries do apply.", The DOT's rule for anyone sending used batteries out: "Anyone who offers a used lithium battery for disposal or recycling must, in addition to ensuring the terminals are protected to prevent short circuiting, fully assess the potential for fire hazards in shipping." For most offices the simpler path is a pickup, where the recycler's own packaging and paperwork carry the shipment.
#Batteries inside devices
A laptop or phone with its battery still inside is a battery for handling purposes. Intact devices can travel as they are; the battery is removed at our facility before the device is shredded. Devices with swollen backs are bagged and flagged like loose damaged cells. The device side of the job, including the data on it, is in the laptop guide and the phone and tablet guide. Lead-acid backup batteries follow different rules, covered in the UPS battery guide.
Have a container of batteries and the equipment they came out of? Request an electronics recycling quote or send a rough count and description through the contact form.
