What Is The Right Way To Dispose Of Your Old Car Battery?

Car batteries are designed to last around three to six years, depending on factors like the type of car, driving habits, and climatic conditions. If you have it routinely checked, keep it clean from corrosion, and avoid frequent short drives, you can even extend its lifespan. But eventually, it will die regardless of how much TLC it gets and how reliable the brand is.

You can tell if your car battery is dead by first checking for dimming or flickering lights and weird smells. When your vehicle takes longer to start or doesn't start at all, that's also a telltale sign that your battery might be beyond saving.

If you find out that your car needs a replacement battery, what should you do with the old one? Well, the one thing you shouldn't be doing is simply throwing it in your bin, along with the rest of your regular household waste. Car batteries are made of toxic materials that can be bad not only for the garbage collectors who would be handling them but also for the environment where they would end up. That being said, you should always dispose of your car batteries properly. Here's how.

Before thinking about where to dispose of your car battery, it's important to first get it ready for pickup or transport. To start, disconnect your car battery if you or a professional hasn't already. It's pretty easy to do so. Turn off your car and lights, close the doors, and wear some gloves. Then, use a wrench to remove the nut and cable from the negative side first before moving on to the positive (check the markings on top of the battery to be sure which is which).

Once you detach the cables (and metal bracket if your battery has one), inspect it for signs of leaks, such as corroded terminals and battery acids. If the battery seems intact, just pull it out of the car. If your car battery is leaking, don't remove it yourself. Have a professional handle it for you.

For a battery in good condition, all you have to do is put it in a thick plastic bag (some disposal centers prefer transparent ones for easy sorting). This way, it won't get grease and dirt all over your car when you take it to a waste drop-off location. You should also cover both terminals with electrical tape to avoid short-circuiting. While in storage or transit, keep the battery upright, as it can leak when lying on its side.

If you're in the US, you can dispose of your old car batteries by getting in touch with your local city hall to ask about their hazardous waste (sometimes called special waste) collection program. They usually have a drop-off location for you to bring your car batteries to, whether from major car battery brands or not.

If your city doesn't have one or the drop-off site or schedule doesn't work, you can try your local car battery retailer. Some states like New York and Wyoming require such stores to accept old car batteries from customers — you may need to buy a new one for them to do so, though. One battery retailer that takes in old car batteries is AutoZone. Just fill out a form, and you can even get a gift card, or your core charge returned.

In the UK, your local garages and scrapyards can also take care of your old car batteries. You can also simply drop it off at any Halfords store near you. They'll dispose of it with no charge at all. Just make sure the battery isn't leaking. Otherwise, you'll have to contact their customer support first so they can tell you how to proceed. If you haven't removed the battery yet, you can just take your car to Halfords and have them remove and dispose of the old battery and replace it with a new one.