How to Dispose of Lithium Ion Batteries

If you’re staring at a drawer full of old phone batteries, puffy power banks, and dead drone cells and Googling how to dispose of lithium ion batteries, you’re not alone — and if you accidentally typed “lithium ion battery battery” mid-panic because you saw that local news clip of a trash truck catching fire from a discarded cell, we see you, no judgment. Summer 2026 has been a wake-up call for a lot of people: record heat is making old batteries swell, recycling centers are reporting 3x more fires from improperly discarded cells, and 90% of people are still throwing their old batteries in the kitchen trash without a second thought. At A&S Power, we’ve built custom lithium ion batteries for consumer electronics, drones, and portable devices for over a decade, and we’ve seen every possible disposal mistake — from people trying to burn old batteries in bonfires to travelers shoving puffy old drone cells in checked bags. This is the no-BS guide to getting rid of old li-ion cells safely, no confusing government website jargon included.

First: Why you can’t just throw these in the regular trash

Let’s cut to the chase: tossing loose lithium ion batteries in your household garbage or curbside recycling bin is not just bad for the planet — it’s legitimately dangerous. Unlike old single-use cells, li-ion batteries hold a residual charge even when they appear “dead.” If they get crushed in a garbage truck, punctured by a broken bottle in a recycling bin, or jostled around with loose metal trash, they can short out, catch fire, or even explode. This isn’t fear-mongering: our local fire department posted a clip last month of a trash truck that burned up on the highway because someone threw an old power bank in their bin. The driver barely got out in time. This rule applies to every single li-ion cell you own: old phone batteries, dead laptop cells, drone batteries, power banks, even the tiny li-ion cells in old wireless headphones. None of them go in the regular trash.

Quick side note: Lithium ion battery vs alkaline disposal rules (stop mixing them up!)

This is the #1 question everyone asks when cleaning out their junk drawer: lithium ion battery vs alkaline — do I have to dispose of them the same way? Short answer: No. Regular single-use alkaline batteries (the AA/AAA ones you buy in bulk for TV remotes) are made with non-toxic metals these days, and in most places you can throw them in the regular trash (though it’s still better to recycle them if you can). They don’t hold a high enough charge to start fires when crushed, and they don’t have the toxic heavy metals 90s-era alkaline cells did. Lithium ion batteries? They’re rechargeable, hold a much higher charge, and can spark fires if damaged — which is why they have special disposal rules. Mixing them up with your old AA batteries and dumping them in the trash is exactly how those trash truck fires start. If you’re sorting through your junk drawer, take 2 minutes to separate the rechargeable li-ion cells from the single-use alkaline ones. It’s not hard, and it saves a garbage driver a very bad day.

The travel rule: Lithium ion battery and flying disposal do’s and don’ts

If you’re traveling this summer, you’ve definitely seen the giant signs at airport security about loose li-ion batteries. This is another spot people mess up disposal constantly. First, the basics: you can bring working, undamaged lithium ion batteries in your carry-on bag (never checked bags, for the same fire risk we talked about earlier). But if you show up to security with a puffy, swollen, clearly damaged old battery you were planning to throw away? Security will make you toss it in their designated battery bin — and that’s actually the right move. Most airport security checkpoints have special fire-safe hazardous waste bins for old/damaged li-ion cells, so you don’t have to carry a dead battery all the way on your trip. What you shouldn’t do: try to bring a swollen battery on the plane because you “didn’t know how to throw it away at home,” or shove a dead battery in an airport trash can full of food waste and coffee cups. Those regular trash cans don’t have fire protection, and a shorted battery can easily start a fire in the terminal. If you’ve got a dead battery you need to get rid of before a flight, just ask a security agent where the battery disposal bin is. They’ll point you right to it, no eye-rolling included.