Battery replacement, safely in and out
A guide to the batteries in a home, from the coin cell in a remote to the battery on the garage wall, published by Dotto from the official sources linked on each page. How to keep them away from small children, how to charge them, where they go when they are spent, and what the law says when a new one fails.
-
Cell A · Button
Button and coin cells
Flat and round, typically up to 32 mm across and 1 to 11 mm high. The size most likely to cause harm is about 2 cm wide, the size of a 10 cent piece.
-
Cell B · Cylinder
AA, AAA, C and D
The terminals sit at both ends. A 9-volt battery has both on one end.
-
Cell C · Pouch
Lithium-ion packs
They come cylindrical, flat, rectangular, as a pouch or shaped for one device, and no rule says how they must be labelled.
-
Cell D · Lead-acid
Car batteries
When one is recycled through a NSW recycling centre, the lead, the acid and the plastic are all recovered.
Six sheets, one cell at a time
Each sheet answers one question, from the regulator, the fire service or the scheme that runs the thing it describes.
| Sheet | Title | What it answers | Drawn from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Button batteries and children | Why they are so dangerous, what to do in the first minutes, and the rules on packaging. | ACCC Product Safety, NSW Poisons Information Centre |
| 02 | Recycling old batteries | Which battery goes where, and what happens to it next. | B-cycle, NSW EPA, Victoria’s environment department |
| 03 | Lithium battery fire safety | Buying, charging and storing, the warning signs, and what to do if one smokes. | Fire and Rescue NSW |
| 04 | Phone battery replacement and your rights | Consumer guarantees, warranties and repairs when a battery fails. | ACCC |
| 05 | Car batteries | Handling and dropping off an old lead-acid battery. | NSW EPA, Victoria’s environment department |
| 06 | Home battery safety | Approved products, accredited installers and the standard for installation. | Clean Energy Regulator, Fire and Rescue NSW |
Never in the bin
Batteries can spark or catch fire if they are crushed or damaged in a waste truck, or if their terminals touch other batteries or metal and short circuit. So keep them out of the household rubbish and the recycling.
- In NSW, the EPA puts it plainly: one battery in a bin can spark a fire.
- In Victoria, it is illegal to put e-waste in any household or kerbside bin, and the state counts anything with a battery, plug or cord that no longer works as e-waste.
- Hidden batteries count too. Victoria’s advice is that a device that lights up, makes a sound, moves or needs charging has a battery in it, and that battery can still hold power after the device stops working.
For the detail where you live, check your own state’s environment agency or your council.
Tape the ends, then store it in glass
If battery terminals touch, they can spark and catch fire. The national battery recycling scheme, B-cycle, asks you to cover the terminals of used batteries with clear sticky tape before you drop them off.
- Cylinders such as AA and AAA: tape both ends.
- 9-volt: both terminals are on one end; cover all the exposed metal.
- Button cells: the terminals are on the base, so cover them in clear tape on all sides. For a button battery, tape also lowers the chance of a child swallowing it.
- Store taped batteries in a glass container that is not airtight, in a cool, dry place.
- Not in a metal tin, and not with metal objects: they can spark.
If a child may have swallowed a button battery
The ACCC’s product safety guide says a swallowed button battery can lodge in a child’s throat, that serious injury can happen in as little as two hours, and that prompt action is critical. Do not wait for symptoms to develop, do not let the child eat or drink, and do not make them vomit.
Sheet 01 has the signs to watch for and the rules for products that contain them.
If the child is bleeding or having any difficulty breathing, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
Otherwise, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 immediately, 24 hours a day.
Where each battery goes
A selection from the national scheme’s own list. Your council can tell you what its transfer station takes.
| Battery | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| AA, AAA, C, D, 9-volt and button batteries | A B-cycle drop-off point. |
| Rechargeables you can take out of a device, such as a power tool battery | A B-cycle drop-off point. |
| E-bike and e-scooter batteries | B-cycle accepts them. |
| Mobile phone batteries | A MobileMuster drop-off point. |
| Laptop and TV batteries | A drop-off point of the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme. |
| Lead-acid (car) batteries | A lead-acid recycler; see sheet 05. |
| Home energy storage batteries | Not B-cycle. Ask your council or transfer station. |
| Swollen or badly damaged batteries | Not a B-cycle drop-off point. Keep it in a fire-resistant container, such as a glass container that is not airtight, and ask your council or transfer station whether it can take it. |
Sheet 02 follows a battery from the drop-off bin to the materials recovered from it.