Batteries - Household - Single-Use
Primary/Single-Use batteries cannot be recharged and must be disposed of once they wear out. Alkaline, lithium, silver oxide, zinc-air, zinc-carbon, and zinc-chloride are all types of primary batteries.
Household Hazardous Waste
This item should never be put in a curbside bin. For more information visit our household hazardous waste page.
Use the Call2Recycle Battery Drop-off Location Finder for single-use, rechargeable, e-bike, and high energy batteries and cellphones.
Learn more about Lithium Ion batteries and their safe disposal from the EPA.
Vendors
| Vendor | Address | City | Destination | Disposal Method | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walgreens | 2145 Market St. | San Francisco | Recycle | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1333 Castro St. | San Francisco | Recycle | Free Drop-off | ||
| Fireside Camera | 2117 Chestnut St. | San Francisco | Recycle | Free Drop-off | All household-type, laptop, cell phone, and rechargeable batteries accepted. Please tape over lithium battery contacts. | |
| Recology SF Household Hazardous Waste Home Collection | 501 Tunnel Ave | San Francisco | Recycle | Free Pick-up | San Francisco Residents only. | |
| Sports Basement (Sunnyvale) | 1177 Kern Ave | Sunnyvale | Recycle | Free Drop-off | No lithium batteries | |
| El Cerrito Recycling + Environmental Resource Center | 7501 Schmidt Ln. | El Cerrito | Recycle | Free Drop-off | Batteries area. | |
| Lowe's | 491 Bayshore Blvd. | San Francisco | Recycle | Free Drop-off | ||
| Oakland Public Library (Rockridge Branch) | 5366 College Ave | Oakland | Recycle | Free Drop-off | Tape battery terminals. | |
| Best Buy Recycling and Trade-in Program (Emeryville) | 3700 Mandela Pkwy. | Emeryville | Recycle | Free Drop-off | rechargeable batteries, battery backups (UPS), batteries for cellphones, laptops, and button batteries | |
| Pete's Ace Hardware | 2569 Castro Valley Blvd. | Castro Valley | Recycle | Free Drop-off | No large quantities. | |
| Walgreens | 4645 Mission St. | San Francisco | Recycle | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 2494 San Bruno Ave. | San Francisco | Recycle | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1344 Stockton St. | San Francisco | Recycle | Free Drop-off | ||
| Fredericksen Hardware | 3029 Fillmore St. | San Francisco | Recycle | Free Drop-off | All household-type, laptop, cell phone, and rechargeable batteries accepted. Please tape over lithium battery contacts. | |
| Recology SF Household Hazardous Waste Facility | 501 Tunnel Ave. | San Francisco | Recycle | Free Drop-off | Limit of 15 gallons or 125 pounds per day of all household hazardous waste. San Francisco residents only. Address verification required. Open Thursday-Saturday only from 8am-4pm. | |
| WM Think Green From Home | 172 98th Ave | Oakland | Recycle | Mail-in for a Fee | Online service. Programs for residents and businesses. | |
| GreenCitizen | 1831 Old Bayshore Hwy, Ste. #2 | Burlingame | Recycle | Free Drop-off | They ONLY accept UPS batteries. Non-rechargable electronic batteries and single use alkaline batteries are NOT accepted. | |
| Lowe's | 811 E. Arques Ave | Sunnyvale | Recycle | Free Drop-off | ||
| Biologic Environmental Services & Waste Solutions | 23490 Connecticut St | Hayward | Recycle | Pick-up for a Fee | Call for specific info on this waste | |
| Best Buy Recycling and Trade-in Program (Union City) | 31350 Courthouse Dr. | Union City | Recycle | Free Drop-off | rechargeable batteries, battery backups (UPS), batteries for cellphones, laptops, and button batteries |
Curbside Service
| Special Action | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda |
Residents may drop off household batteries (A, AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt) at the ACI Alameda office or package in a sealed, clear plastic bag and place on top of the recyclable materials cart. (No car batteries allowed.) ### |
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| Albany |
Put batteries in a clear plastic bag, seal it shut and place on the top of the recyclables cart. ### |
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| Berkeley | |||
| Castro Valley Sanitary District |
Single-family and multi-family residents with blue recycling cart service may participate in CVSan’s curbside battery recycling program by placing used dry cell batteries (household batteries such as AAA, AA, B, C, D, 9V, and small “button” batteries) in a sealed clear plastic bag on top of your blue recycling cart on your service day. No automotive, lithium-ion or liquid batteries are accepted. Please tape terminals on 9-volt batteries. ### |
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| Dublin |
Single Family Residents. Place used batteries on top of your recycle cart in a clear plastic bag. ### |
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| Emeryville |
Emeryville accepts this item for curbside pickup, but don't put them in your carts or bins. Cart customers: place in sealed, zip bag taped to lid of recycling cart. Emeryville bin customers call to order mail-back collection container: 510-613-8710. ### |
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| Fremont | |||
| Hayward |
Single Family Service - Household batteries can be put into a sealed clear bag & placed next to the Recycling cart on collection day. Please tape over lithium battery contacts. ### |
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| Hayward (Oro Loma - L2) |
Single Family Service - Place in zip loc bag on top of recycling cart ### |
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| Livermore |
Single Family Service - Household batteries can be put into a sealed clear bag & placed on top of the Recycling cart on collection day. Please tape over lithium battery contacts. ### |
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| Newark |
Single Family Service - Place in zip loc bag on top of recycling cart ### |
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| Oakland |
Residents. Put household dry-cell batteries in a clear, sealed bag on top of recycling cart by 6am on your regular recycling pickup date. Always tape ends of batteries to avoid contact. Bag button-cell and NiCd batteries in a bag separate from alkaline batteries. Do not include rechargeable batteries. ### |
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| Piedmont |
Place in Ziploc bag on top of the recycling cart. Also accepted at the Piedmont Fire Station for recycling. ### |
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| Pleasanton |
Single Family Service - Place in zip loc bag on top of recycling cart ### |
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| San Leandro |
Bag batteries in clear bag and put on top of Recycling cart. ### |
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| San Leandro (Oro Loma - L3) |
Single Family Service - Place in zip loc bag on top of recycling cart ### |
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| San Lorenzo (Oro Loma) |
Single Family Service - Place in zip loc bag on top of recycling cart ### |
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| Unincorporated Oro Loma (L1) |
Single Family Service - Place in zip loc bag on top of recycling cart ### |
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| Union City |
Single Family & Parcelized Multifamily Dwellings: Put in clear, sealed bag next to recycling cart. ### |
