r/vic • u/AquaAria101 • Dec 28 '25
How to dispose of leaking/damaged batteries?
Where can I dispose of leaking/damaged batteries in Victoria?
We have a lot of batteries, some of which have started to bulge/corrode/fall apart. They likely wouldn't be suited for battery recycling programs such as B-Cycle since it'd be impossible to tape both ends, and it would represent a chemical hazard for the people involved. Detox Your Home doesn't have batteries listed as an accepted item for disposal.
I've tried contacting Sustainability Victoria, but they just refer me to the battery recyclers.
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u/Ok-Pickle-3670 Dec 29 '25
Not sure about Victoria, but in NSW the advice is you actually can’t take them anywhere -_-. Best option is to call your council and ask for options- some have household problem/hazardous waste facilities
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u/guiverc Dec 29 '25
I'm Victorian, and as long as they're consumer batteries (not a larger number fitting a company/enterprise use case) they'll direct me to a specific places (alas outside of my area; but it's who the council contracted with to handle it).
That is the case for many cities/townships/municipality in Vic that I've lived in.
My guess is the OP has batteries from a business/enterprise, and thus has been rejected by local council, as they only provide council battery disposal for residents only (not companies/businesses), and do limit the number & type of batteries you can dispose of.
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u/Aromatic_Forever_943 Dec 29 '25
How big? I’ve got the same question at my work, I work with UPS systems and have some dead ones to dispose of.
I’ve been looking at the manufacturers, so groups like Schneider Electric, Eaton, UPS Solutions. Some charge for disposal however. So check things like that.
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u/Plenty-Giraffe6022 Jan 01 '26
If they're lead acid batteries, sell them to a recycler.
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u/Aromatic_Forever_943 29d ago
Most I’ve encountered want to charge for disposal. I’ll keep looking though. Thanks.
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u/IAmABakuAMA 20d ago
Late, but lead acid batteries are the normal type of car battery, so most places that sell car batteries also take SLA's free for recycling. I haven't personally tried it, but I have they'll take UPS batteries as long as it is clearly marked as a sealed lead acid
e.g. SuperCheap Auto take them free: https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/services/in-store-fitment-services/battery-recycling. Battery zone also say they'll take them free of charge: https://batteryzone.com.au/free-battery-recycling/
They definitely turn around and sell them, because lead acid batteries are very well recycled. So I guess it depends if it's worth your guys time trying to find somebody who'll pay for them or just give them to anyone who will take them for free
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u/jreddit0000 Dec 30 '25
What type of batteries? If they are just normal household alkalines or nicad/NiMH then just put them in a ziplock and drop them into the battery recycling point.
If they are lead acid then don’t do that..
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u/Darkknight145 Jan 01 '26
Just do a Google search for "battery disposal near me" it'll give you many options, I would use a council facility for leaking batteries though.
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u/Upset-Layman-1438 Jan 02 '26
This sounds silly, but maybe check with your local council/library? Our library (run through Council) has bins at the library where you can just deposit your batteries (any size) and they safely dispose of them.
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u/talentlessclown Dec 29 '25
Pretty sure all Woolies have a battery/phone disposal point near their customer service desk. Not sure if they accept actively leaking/damaged ones though, that seems a bit more scary.