Businesses across the UK handle more batteries than they realise. Things like laptops, handheld devices, tools, emergency lighting, forklift trucks, alarms, telecoms equipment and electric vehicles all use batteries. Each type carries its own risks; some are hazardous, some can ignite if damaged, and all need planned disposal routes.
This guide explains what UK battery disposal requires from businesses, what counts as hazardous, how lithium chemistries should be handled, and where producer responsibility fits. It also outlines how compliant battery recycling supports safety, cost control and environmental performance.
What counts as waste batteries for businesses?
Any battery your organisation no longer needs becomes waste. This includes:
- Portable batteries (AA, AAA, button cells, handheld device packs)
- Industrial batteries (emergency lighting, forklift batteries, UPS systems)
- Automotive batteries (vehicle lead-acid)
Most workplaces generate more portable waste batteries than they expect. Industrial and automotive types are subject to additional controls, especially during transport and storage. Understanding where they sit in your operations helps you set up the right battery waste disposal arrangements.
Why batteries must be handled separately from general waste
Waste batteries contain materials that can create hazards if crushed, compacted or damaged as some will leak harmful substances. Lithium-ion cells can enter thermal runaway (this is when a battery overheats so quickly that it can’t stop itself, and it becomes dangerous). Fires linked to hidden lithium batteries have increased across the waste sector, often starting in compactors or mixed recycling streams.
For businesses, this brings practical consequences: a fire in storage, a smoke event in a warehouse, contaminated material within mixed waste streams, health and safety investigations and insurance costs. Segregation reduces these risks and ensures batteries are sent directly to approved treatment facilities instead of entering residual waste.
Lithium batteries are the highest-risk category
The rise in lithium-ion batteries across ICT equipment, tools and mobility devices means higher risk in everyday operations. Recent industry data shows they now account for a significant share of waste fires, especially when placed in mixed waste or recycling. These risks mean organisations should treat lithium-ion battery disposal as a specialist process rather than part of general waste handling.
Treat lithium batteries as hazardous materials
Lithium and lithium-ion batteries should always be handled as hazardous once discarded. Damaged, swollen or punctured cells can overheat or leak, so they need careful handling and should never be dismantled or crushed.
Use fire-safe storage
Keep lithium batteries in a tough, closed, fire-resistant container, positioned away from heat sources and combustibles. This reduces the chances of a heat event and helps you meet fire-risk obligations under the Fire Safety Order.
Prevent short circuits
Terminals should be taped or batteries individually bagged before storage. This stops metal contacts touching and eliminates one of the most common triggers for overheating.
Use a licensed, specialist carrier
Transporting lithium batteries requires a compliant carrier who can package, label and route them safely to an approved recycling facility. This ensures hazardous waste controls are followed and gives your organisation a clear audit trail.
When batteries are damaged or leaking
Corroded, swollen or punctured batteries can leak substances such as lithium compounds, lead or cadmium. Safe disposal of lithium batteries involves putting these in a sealed plastic bag or rigid lidded container and keeping them separate from other batteries until collected by a specialist contractor. This protects staff and reduces the chance of a fire event on your premises.
Building these controls into your fire risk assessment shows you have recognised and acted on a well-documented workplace hazard.
How businesses should store used batteries before collection
A few basics help you manage waste batteries safely on-site:
- Use a closed, clearly labelled container near the point of generation
- Keep incompatible chemistries apart, especially lithium
- Avoid damp or extreme heat, both of which accelerate degradation
- Record collections and movements if volumes are high or spread across multiple sites
- Keep containers accessible to the teams who generate batteries (ICT, maintenance, logistics, retail counters, cleaning staff)
You may also need a hazardous waste consignment note when passing batteries to a carrier, depending on type and volume. Your contractor should confirm the correct paperwork and retain copies in line with duty of care requirements.
Build an internal battery disposal programme
Treating battery disposal as a structured programme makes compliance simpler and more consistent.
Key elements include:
- Assign a responsible lead for battery handling, collections and documentation
- Map where batteries are generated across your operations: ICT, retail counters, mail rooms, fleet maintenance, workshops and warehouse processes
- Provide consistent signage and containers so staff know exactly where to place used batteries
- Include battery handling in staff training, especially for teams that manage battery waste disposal, operate machinery or clean work areas
- Plan for incidents (small fires, leaks or damaged cells) with clear steps and suitable extinguishers in place
- Carry out periodic checks on storage areas, volumes and paperwork to demonstrate ongoing compliance
A specialist recycling partner can support you with programme design, training, audits and multi-site rollout.
Where do you recycle batteries?
Public drop-off points in shops and supermarkets are designed for household batteries. Commercial battery recycling follows a business collection route using a licensed carrier and an approved treatment facility.
If you cannot remove the battery from a device – such as in certain vapes, laptops or tools – the entire unit should be sent through a WEEE recycling channel. This prevents informal dismantling and keeps hazardous components contained.
A compliant provider manages:
- Segregation by chemistry
- Hazardous waste documentation
- Safe packaging and transport
- Transfer to accredited reprocessors for metal recovery
This route satisfies duty of care and ensures your business is using approved recycling methods rather than informal or unverified channels.
Environmental and resource considerations
Batteries contain materials that can harm ecosystems if they enter mixed waste or landfill. These include lithium compounds, lead, cadmium and mercury. At the same time, batteries hold valuable metals such as nickel, cobalt and copper. Recovering these materials supports circular-economy goals and reduces the demand for new extraction.
For businesses, using approved recycling routes supports compliance, lowers environmental risk and contributes to the wider recovery of critical materials.
Understand the regulations that apply to battery disposal
Businesses in the UK face several overlapping rules when handling waste batteries. These laws cover classification, safe storage, transport, fire-risk assessments and documentation. Some requirements come from waste legislation, others from health and safety or fire regulations.
Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009
These regulations set out how portable, industrial and automotive batteries must be collected, stored, treated and financed. They define producer responsibilities, recycling targets, and how waste batteries should move through compliant treatment routes. If your organisation places batteries on the UK market, these rules also influence your producer duties.
WEEE Regulations 2013
Electrical equipment often contains embedded batteries that cannot be safely removed by hand. The WEEE Regulations require this equipment to be collected and recycled separately from general waste. For businesses, this means items such as laptops, tools, vapes and handheld devices with sealed batteries must usually go through a WEEE recycling route, not standalone battery bins.
Hazardous waste controls
Many lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries are classed as hazardous waste once discarded. This affects how they are packaged, labelled, stored, documented and transported. Businesses may need hazardous waste consignment notes when batteries leave site and must keep records to show they used an authorised carrier and treatment facility.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Fire risk assessments must cover hazards linked to battery storage and disposal, particularly lithium-ion cells. This includes where batteries are stored, how they are contained, and what might happen in the event of damage or overheating. Clear procedures, appropriate containers and suitable fire-extinguishing equipment all support compliance with this Order.
Waste duty of care
All organisations have a duty to prevent waste being handled in a way that could harm people or the environment. For batteries, this means separating them from general waste, using licensed carriers, and ensuring they go to authorised treatment facilities. Businesses must also keep documentation that shows they have met these responsibilities.
Evolving policy
The Lithium-Ion Battery Safety Bill proposes clearer segregation rules and safer handling requirements for lithium cells, reflecting increased fire incidents across the waste sector. The new EU Battery Regulation may also shape future UK policy, influencing expectations around traceability, collection, recycling and safety. For most organisations, the practical lesson stays the same: separate waste batteries early, document their movement, and work with a specialist provider that can keep pace with regulatory change.
Does producer responsibility apply to your organisation?
You may have duties under the UK’s Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations if your business places batteries on the UK market. The threshold is straightforward:
- If you place more than one tonne of portable batteries on the market in a year, you must join an approved battery compliance scheme
- If you place fewer than one tonne, you must still register as a producer but do not need to join a scheme
Industrial and automotive battery producers also have obligations around take-back and information provision.
Working with an approved scheme helps ensure:
- Correct reporting of chemistries and volumes
- Access to evidence for compliance
- Support in an evolving regulatory landscape
Choosing a compliant battery recycling partner
When evaluating commercial battery recycling, organisations often consider:
- Nationwide coverage for multi-site operations
- Fire-safe handling procedures
- Experience with mixed chemistries
- Clear, auditable reporting
- Support with producer responsibility
- Ability to link activity to ESG and social value commitments
A partner with recognised social value credentials (for example, a B Corp certified provider working with an employment-focused charity model) can help organisations align compliance with wider ESG goals.
Structured support helps organisations standardise the disposal of used batteries across multiple sites. If your organisation needs structured support with battery handling, compliance or recycling, talk to our team about setting up safe, traceable collections and producer responsibility reporting across your sites.
Frequently asked questions about battery disposal
How should businesses dispose of used batteries?
Businesses must keep waste batteries separate from general waste, store them safely, and send them through a licensed carrier to an approved treatment facility. Collections should be arranged through a specialist provider that can handle mixed chemistries and hazardous waste requirements.
Can businesses recycle lithium batteries?
Yes. Lithium batteries can and should be recycled, but they require careful storage and transport due to fire risk. Damaged or swollen units need specialist handling. A provider experienced in safe disposal of lithium batteries will ensure compliant packaging, movement and treatment.
Do businesses need consignment notes for battery disposal?
Hazardous waste consignment notes may be required for certain chemistries and volumes, particularly lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries. Your waste contractor should confirm the correct documentation and retain copies in line with duty of care requirements.
What are my obligations if my business produces or imports batteries?
If you place one tonne or more of portable batteries on the market annually, you must join an approved Battery Producer Compliance Scheme. Smaller producers must still register and meet reporting duties. Industrial and automotive producers have additional take-back responsibilities.