Take the battery out first, then wipe the data, then choose a route. That order has changed in the last few years for one reason: hidden lithium cells are setting fire to the facilities that process everything else. Fire tracking data recorded 448 fires at waste and recycling facilities across the United States and Canada in the most recent full year, the worst on record, with more than $2.5 billion in damage. The device you leave a battery inside is the one that causes the problem.
Everything else about recycling electronics follows from that, including why so many programmes now refuse items they once accepted.
Why the advice changed
This used to be a routing question. It is now a safety question first and a routing question second.
- 448 fires at waste and recycling facilities in the US and Canada in the most recent full year, the worst since tracking began, with over $2.5 billion in damage.
- The first two months of this year produced 56 publicly reported fires, the highest February total on record.
- Through May this year, 76 fires at waste, paper and plastics facilities and 55 at scrap metal yards.
- A federal research survey found one in four lithium battery fires at waste facilities causes service disruption and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.
- One operator reports finding 200 to 300 lithium cells a day mixed into ordinary waste at each of his facilities.
- Roughly 1.2 billion disposable vapes a year are entering the stream, each containing a cell that was never meant to be crushed.
A fire prevention consultant who has tracked these incidents for a decade puts it plainly: the issue is not safe batteries against unsafe batteries, it is that waste handling is not gentle, and a crushed cell behaves accordingly.
The industry has responded with a joint guide on battery management at sorting facilities, published together by the national waste, recycled materials and solid waste associations. When three trade bodies write one document, the problem is systemic rather than local.
The scale underneath it
- The world generated a record 62 million tonnes of e-waste in a recent measured year, up 82 percent in twelve years, and heading for 82 million tonnes by the end of the decade.
- Only 22.3 percent was documented as formally collected and recycled. That share is projected to fall to 20 percent, because generation is growing roughly five times faster than collection.
- The raw materials in that year’s e-waste were valued at $91 billion, of which about $19 billion was recovered. Copper accounted for around $19 billion of the total and gold around $15 billion.
- Small devices make up 33 percent of the total by mass, about 20.4 million tonnes. These are the ones with hidden cells.
- Just 1 percent of rare earth element demand is met by recycling.
That 33 percent line matters more than the headline. The fastest-growing part of the problem is the part that fits in a drawer.
The four routes
| Manufacturer take-back | Retailer drop-off | Municipal collection | Certified processor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measurement | What it accepts and what it costs | Same | Same | Same |
| Scope | That brand’s own products | Most consumer devices | Household quantities only | Any volume, business or household |
| Cost | Usually free | Usually free | Free, though some charge for tube televisions | Free at volume, fees for negative-value items |
| Data handling | Varies | Wipe before you go | Wipe before you go | Documented destruction available |
| Batteries | Usually accepted separately | Often a separate bin | Separate collection | Handled, but declare them |
| Best for | A single branded device | One or two household items | A carload of mixed items | Business volume, or sensitive data |
County and municipal programmes are almost always residential only. Businesses, schools and government are excluded and need a commercial vendor, which is the mistake small offices make most often.
Before anything: two steps
Take the battery out
Where a battery is removable, remove it and take it to a battery collection point rather than leaving it in the device.
Where it is not removable, say so at the counter. Every legitimate processor has a procedure for sealed cells, and the fire data above is what happens when they are not told.
Tape the terminals on loose cells, bag them individually, and keep anything swollen, punctured or damaged separate. Our page on battery recycling routes covers the chemistry-by-chemistry detail.
Wipe the data
A factory reset on a phone or tablet, and a proper sanitisation rather than a file deletion on a computer.
Physical drive removal is the simplest option if you are unsure. For business equipment the standard is documented: sanitisation, a serialised certificate of destruction, and a chain of custody record. A municipal drop-off gives you none of those.
The reason to care is proportionate risk. The metal in a device is worth a few dollars, as our teardown of a desktop shows. A data breach is not.
The devices that hide cells
People remember phones and laptops. These are the ones that get missed.
- Disposable vapes and e-cigarettes
- Wireless earbuds and their charging cases
- Greeting cards and children’s toys that play sound
- Cordless power tools and their spare packs
- Electric toothbrushes and shavers
- Bluetooth speakers, trackers and tags
- Laptop bags with built-in power banks
- E-bikes, scooters and hoverboards
Anything that charges, lights up or makes a noise without being plugged in contains a cell. If you cannot get it out, it is not general waste and it is not kerbside recycling.
Who pays is changing
Seven states advanced battery or electronics producer responsibility programmes this year: Colorado, Oregon, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Vermont and Washington. One state’s portable battery law took effect on the first of January, and another extended its existing scheme to cover rechargeable cells.
The direction is consistent. The cost of collecting hazardous material safely is moving from municipal budgets onto the companies that put the batteries into products, and that generally means more free drop-off points rather than fewer.
Around 25 states plus the District of Columbia already ban covered electronics from landfill, so in much of the country this is a legal question rather than a preference.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the battery in. The single most damaging habit in this whole subject.
- Binning a vape. It is a sealed lithium cell in a plastic shell.
- Putting electronics in kerbside recycling. Sorted out at best, a fire risk at worst.
- Assuming a factory reset is enough for a work laptop. It is not, and no drop-off gives you documentation.
- Using a residential programme for business equipment. Most exclude it explicitly.
- Continuing to use a swollen device. Survey work in one city found more than half of residents had seen signs of a damaged battery and almost a third kept using it anyway.
- Storing dead devices in a hot garage. Heat causes cells to swell and destabilise.
- Expecting payment. Modern equipment in volume often collects free; small quantities and legacy items attract a fee.
Where this fits
The routing detail by device type sits on where to recycle electronics, and the wider question of which stream any household item belongs to is covered on the recycling hub.
Where this goes in other countries
The route depends on which national system covers you. Most markets place the duty on producers and retailers rather than on households, which is why free drop-off points exist at all. The table below sets out the system, the rule that creates it, and the official locator for each market we cover.
| Market | National system | What creates it | What a household does | Official locator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | State e-waste programmes | More than 25 states plus DC ban covered electronics from landfill; several fund recycling through an advance recovery fee at purchase | Retailer drop-off, manufacturer take-back, or a municipal collection event | Earth911 locator, by postcode |
| United Kingdom | WEEE Regulations and retailer take-back | Shops with a large enough electricals floor area must accept a like-for-like item free when you buy a replacement, and small items under 25 cm free without purchase | Council recycling centre, or any large electricals retailer | Recycle Your Electricals locator, around 30,000 points |
| Germany | ElektroG, implementing the EU WEEE Directive | Large retailers must take back small devices free without purchase and one-for-one on larger items | Municipal collection point, or retailer take-back | Local authority Wertstoffhof listings |
| France | Eco-organisme system under EU WEEE | Producers fund collection through an eco-contribution shown on the receipt | Déchèterie, retailer take-back, or a scheme collection point | Scheme operator locator |
| India | E-Waste (Management) Rules with portal-based EPR | Producers must meet collection targets across 106 categories of equipment, tracked on a central portal and enforced by environmental compensation | Brand take-back, an authorised dismantler, or a producer collection centre | CPCB list of authorised recyclers and dismantlers |
| Australia | National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme | Industry-funded scheme covering televisions, computers, printers and peripherals | Free drop-off at scheme collection points | Scheme site and council listings |
| Canada | Provincial stewardship programmes | Provincial regulations require producers to fund collection and recycling | Free drop-off at registered depots | Provincial programme locator |
| United Arab Emirates | Municipality e-waste collection | Emirate-level waste authorities operate collection points and campaigns | Municipal drop-off, or a licensed private collector | Municipality waste services |
| Saudi Arabia | National waste authority framework | Regulator-licensed collectors handle electrical and electronic waste | Licensed collector or municipal campaign | Waste authority listings |
| Bangladesh | Hazardous Waste (E-Waste) Management Rules | Producers and importers carry collection duties under the rules, with much collection still informal in practice | Authorised recycler, or a brand collection point where one exists | Department of Environment listings |
| South Africa | Mandatory EPR for electrical and electronic equipment | Producers must register and fund a producer responsibility organisation | PRO collection point, or a registered recycler | PRO and municipal listings |
| Japan | Home Appliance Recycling Law and Small Appliance Law | Consumers pay a recycling fee for four major appliance categories at disposal; small appliances collected by municipalities | Retailer collection with a recycling ticket, or municipal box collection | Municipal and retailer guidance |
How we produced this
The fire incident figures come from a fire prevention consultancy that has tracked publicly reported waste and recycling facility fires across the United States and Canada for a decade, reported through trade press. The one-in-four disruption figure is from a federal research survey. The joint battery management guide is published by three national waste and recycling associations.
The volume, value and collection rate figures are from the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor, produced by its training institute with the international telecommunications body. Data years differ between sources and several lag by design, because the underlying collection is annual.
Producer responsibility programmes and landfill bans differ by state and are changing quickly. Check your own state before assuming a route exists or is free.
Frequently asked questions
What is the first thing to do before recycling an electronic device?
Take the battery out where it is removable, then sanitise the data, then choose a route. That order changed because hidden lithium cells now cause fires at the facilities processing everything else, with 448 recorded across the US and Canada in the most recent full year.
Why can I not put electronics in my kerbside bin?
Two reasons. Around 25 states plus the District of Columbia ban covered electronics from landfill, and any device containing a cell becomes a fire risk once it is crushed in a collection truck or at a sorting facility.
Which devices contain batteries people forget about?
Disposable vapes, wireless earbuds and their cases, musical greeting cards, children's toys, cordless tools, electric toothbrushes, Bluetooth speakers and trackers. Anything that charges, lights up or makes a sound without being plugged in has a cell inside.
How much e-waste is actually recycled?
About 22.3 percent of the world's e-waste is documented as formally collected and recycled, and that share is projected to fall to 20 percent because generation is growing roughly five times faster than collection.
What is discarded e-waste worth?
The raw materials in a recent year's global e-waste were valued at around $91 billion, of which about $19 billion was recovered. Copper accounted for roughly $19 billion of the total and gold about $15 billion.
Is a factory reset enough before recycling a computer?
For a personal device, usually. For anything that held business data, no. The standard is documented sanitisation with a serialised certificate of destruction and a chain of custody record, and a municipal drop-off provides none of those.
Can businesses use council e-waste collections?
Usually not. County and municipal programmes are almost always residential only and explicitly exclude businesses, schools and government. Commercial quantities need a certified vendor, which also produces the documentation an audit will ask for.
What should I do with a swollen or damaged device?
Stop using it immediately, keep it away from heat and other items, and take it to a collection point declaring the damage. Survey work in one city found more than half of residents had noticed signs of a damaged battery and almost a third continued using the device.
Will I get paid for old electronics?
Rarely as a household seller. Modern equipment in volume often attracts free collection because resale value covers the cost, while small quantities and legacy items with negative value, particularly tube televisions, usually attract a fee instead.
Is anything changing about who pays for all this?
Yes. Seven states advanced battery or electronics producer responsibility programmes this year, including Colorado, Oregon, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Vermont and Washington. The cost of safe collection is shifting from municipal budgets onto the companies putting batteries into products.