Residential Curbside Household Battery Recycling
About the Program
Household Batteries
This program accepts small batteries, including AA, AAA, C, D, and 9V. Please tape the top posts of 9-volt batteries to prevent a fire hazard. We currently accept button-style batteries (like those found in key fobs and hearing aids).
Residential customers can use the curbside collection service referenced in the diagram above.
Residents can drop batteries in convenient collection buckets at local stores, libraries, and city halls (the locations are listed here).
Bring your household batteries to your city’s cleanup events (click here to find your city’s next event)
Bring to these locations at no charge:
Salinas Valley Recycles Household Hazardous Waste & Recycling Facility
1104 Madison Lane, Salinas 93907
Jolon Road Disposal & Recycling Facility
52654 Jolon Road, King City 93930
Johnson Canyon Landfill & Recycling Facility (open 7 days a week)
31400 Johnson Canyon Road, Gonzales
DO NOT include vape pens or
devices in any of these collection systems
Lithium Ion Batteries (Li)
Do not include this type of battery in your curbside collection bag. These batteries are commonly found in rechargeable devices such as power tools, smart watches, tablet devices, cell phones, Bluetooth devices, smoke detectors, game controllers, computers, bikes, scooters, toothbrushes, and hoverboards.
Bring to these locations at no charge:
Bring this type of battery or device to your city’s cleanup events for recycling with Salinas Valley Recycles (click here to find your city’s next event).
Salinas Valley Recycles Household Hazardous Waste & Recycling Facility
1104 Madison Lane, Salinas 93907
Jolon Road Disposal & Recycling Facility
52654 Jolon Road, King City 93930
Johnson Canyon Landfill & Recycling Facility (open 7 days a week)
31400 Johnson Canyon Road, Gonzales
DO NOT include vape pens or
devices in any of these collection systems
Why?
Every type of battery (household, commercial, car, cellular phone) is considered hazardous waste. It is dangerous and illegal to place batteries in any of your curbside collection carts. Batteries can be recycled but require special handling and management by consumers.
What?
Tri-Cities Disposal & Recycling offers free curbside battery recycling for single-family residential customers. Business customers and those who live in multi-family apartment complexes also have household battery recycling options within all of the communities we serve.
Single-family residential customers should review the graphic above and read the information below about how to correctly and safely recycle your household batteries and other types of batteries we all frequently use.
How?
Residential Customers
Collect your used household batteries in a one-quart zip-top bag
9-volt batteries (rectangular in shape) should be taped at the top to cover the two terminals
Close the zip-top of the bag and place it ON TOP of your blue mixed recycling cart on collection day (DO NOT put bagged batteries inside of the cart!)
Other program requirements: Only one quart-sized bag of batteries will be collected per customer weekly. Bags containing items other than the batteries specified will not be collected. Batteries will not be collected for multi-family (apartment) or commercial (business) customers.
Multi-family Apartment Customers
Residents of multi-family complexes can take their household batteries to one of the collection locations in their city. There are many convenient locations spread throughout the Salinas Valley. There are locations at city hall offices, libraries, and hardware stores. All Salinas Valley Recycles landfill and transfer stations collect small quantities of household batteries from residential and multi-family customers. Click here to find the closest location in your area.
Businesses
If your business utilizes a universal waste service to collect other hazardous materials, contact them to see if you can include batteries in your collection program. Another recycling option for businesses that generate batteries is to bring them to Salinas Valley Recycles Household Hazardous Waste & Recycling Facility in Salinas for safe disposal. For a fee, they accept automotive batteries, household batteries, specialized batteries, and batteries from various types of communications and electronic devices.
SVR Household Hazardous Waste Facility
1104 Madison Lane, Salinas
Call for an appointment: 831-424-5520
Businesses may bring up to 25 gallons or 220 pounds per month for a fee of $1.50 per pound.
How everyone can recycle other types of batteries:
Business and residential customers can return old car batteries to the auto parts store where the new battery was purchased.
When you buy a new battery, you are charged a fee called a “core charge.”
Save your purchase receipt and return the old battery for a core charge refund.
Auto parts stores also accept old batteries without the purchase of a new battery.
Usually, a store credit will be issued instead of a cash refund of the core charge.
Single-family and multi-family residents can bring batteries (including car batteries) to our free cleanup day events in their community. Read your mailer carefully for special instructions on bringing hazardous materials to these events.
