Laptops are part of everyday life, whether it’s for study, work or personal use, but what do you do with laptop batteries when they run out of juice?
Laptops and their batteries can be recycled like most other types of modern electronic and electrical waste (e-waste).
But that doesn’t mean you should throw your laptop batteries in your regular recycling bin at home or work.
Used rechargeable batteries can become hazardous waste if they are discarded into landfill, so they shouldn’t be placed in your regular rubbish bin either.
Australians buy millions of computers and related components every year, with an estimated 44 million computers and televisions reaching the end of their useful life by 2028, according to RecyclingNearYou.com.au.
With massive volumes of e-waste bound for landfill in years to come, it’s vital that we do what we can to protect the environment for future generations.
Here is a guide to responsibly disposing of used laptop batteries:
Ways to recycle laptop batteries
Most local governments offer e-waste recycling services, so the first step is to check where your council’s closest collection point is located.
Your collection point might be at your council offices or local waste transfer station, so it’s best to inquire ahead or check at RecyclingNearYou.com.au.
Some laptop makers have take-back programs for computer parts too, otherwise you can drop off used laptop batteries at retailers like Battery World.
While these options are mostly for households, businesses and organisations can partner with specialist companies like Ecocycle for large-scale recycling needs.
Advantages of recycling laptop batteries
Recycling laptop batteries helps protect the environment in many ways, like safely treating hazardous materials and recovering precious resources for future use.
The most common types of batteries used in laptops today are rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, however older laptops may use nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal hydride batteries.
Some laptop batteries contain toxic materials such as cadmium that can contaminate land and waterways when sent to landfill.
Recycling laptop battery waste recovers various metals and materials including steel, cobalt, nickel and plastics to be used in new products.
Recovering these non-renewable resources reduces the demand to mine and process the same materials out of the ground, which uses significantly more energy than reusing processed metals.
Australian authorities are also tightening the rules around how to dispose of used laptop batteries and other e-waste.
The Victorian Government introduced a ban on discarding e-waste into landfill earlier this year, while the South Australian Government has strengthened recycling rules in recent years.
Other state governments are watching how Victoria’s ban goes, as they look for solutions to the growing e-waste challenge.
Laptop battery recycling solutions for businesses
If your business or organisation is looking for ways to responsibly dispose of laptop batteries and other e-waste, Ecocycle can help with tailored recycling programs.
Ecocycle is one of Australia’s top e-waste recyclers and offers a complete end-to-end recycling solution from dropping off collection boxes at your workplace to providing recycling certificates after your e-waste has been recycled.
To find out more, give us a call on 1300 32 62 92 or fill out the form below.
