Lithium-ion Batteries

What are Lithium-ion Batteries?

Lithium-ion batteries are increasingly found in devices and systems that the public and first responders use or interact with daily. While these batteries provide an effective and efficient source of power, the likelihood of them overheating, catching on fire, and even leading to explosions increases when they are damaged or improperly used, charged, or stored.

Charge into Fire Safety!

Fire Prevention Week is October 5-11.

This year’s Fire Prevention Week™ (FPW™) campaign “Charge into Fire Safety™: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home,” works to educate everyone about using these batteries safely. The campaign stresses how important it is to BUY, CHARGE, and RECYCLE safely when it comes to lithium-ion batteries.

For more information about the campaign, visit fpw.org.

Click here to download the NFPA's Lithium-Ion Battery Safety tip sheet!

recycling lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion (Li-On), rechargeable batteries, and nickel-cadmium batteries (Ni-Cd or NiCad) batteries cannot go in trash or recycling bins and must be disposed of properly at designated recycling locations. Improper disposal in residential trash can lead to dangerous fires during transport or at landfills.

The Resource Recovery Center offers Virginia Beach residents free disposal or recycling of materials that should not be co-mingled with waste deposited in the landfill.

The Resource Recovery Center does accept Lithium-ion batteries.

Accepted Items include:

Electronics (e-cycling)
- Calculators, cameras, cell phones, computer monitors, computers, DVD players, electronic scanners, electronic tablets, e-readers, facsimile machines, laptops, MP3 players, radios, televisions, and teletypewriters (TTY).

Call2Recycle allows users to search for recycling drop-off locations for various types of batteries. They also offer recycling services in their webstore.

Note: It is recommended to call locations before you go to ensure they still take batteries, as services may have changed.

Earth911 is one of North America's most extensive recycling databases. Users can search by battery type and zip code to find recycling drop-off locations nearby.

Note: It is recommended to call locations before you go to ensure they still take batteries, as services may have changed.

Note: Traditional Alkaline batteries may be disposed of in residential trash. Alkaline Batteries no longer contain mercury and are composed primarily of common metals like steel, zinc, and manganese which do not pose a health or environmental risk during normal use or disposal.