Guide for Reuse, Repair, Recycling, and Safe Disposal
for Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and the City of Palo Alto

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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.

Find more information on our Battery Fact Sheet.

Vendors

Vendor Address City Destination Disposal Method Notes
Walgreens 498 Castro St. San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off
Freon Free 1881 Walters Ct Suite A Fairfield Recycle Drop-off for a Fee
Walgreens 25 Point Lobos Ave. San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off
Walgreens 825 Market St. San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off
Sports Basement (SF Presidio) 610 Old Mason St San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off No lithium batteries
Central Contra Costa Household Battery Recycling Program Recycle Free Drop-off
Discount Builders Supply 1695 Mission St. San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off All household-type, laptop, cell phone, and rechargeable batteries accepted. Please tape over lithium battery contacts.
Walgreens 135 Powell St. San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off
Center Hardware 3003 3rd St San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off All household-type, laptop, cell phone, and rechargeable batteries accepted. Please tape over lithium battery contacts.
West Contra Costa Battery Recycling Program (WCCIWMA) Hercules Recycle Free Drop-off
Recology SF Business Haz. Waste Drop-Off (VSQG Program) 501 Tunnel Ave. San Francisco Recycle Drop-off for a Fee Quantity limits and disposal fees apply. You must qualify and make an appointment in advance. San Francisco businesses only.
Cole Hardware (Rockridge) 5533 College Ave Oakland Recycle Free Drop-off All household-type, laptop, cell phone, and rechargeable batteries accepted. Please tape over lithium battery contacts.
Island Cove Market (4th Street) 150 4th Street
Suite 1
San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off
Walgreens 499 Haight St. San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off
Mastick Senior Center 1155 Santa Clara Ave Alameda Recycle Free Drop-off Accepts batteries from members only - no large quantities.
Walgreens 2550 Ocean Ave. San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off
Walgreens 88 Spear St. San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off
Sports Basement (SF Stonestown) 3251 20th Ave
Suite 390
San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off No lithium batteries
Pleasanton Transfer Station 3110 Busch Rd. Pleasanton Recycle Free Drop-off Free for residents
Financial District Ace Hardware 140 Pine St. San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off All household-type, laptop, cell phone, and rechargeable batteries accepted. Please tape over lithium battery contacts.

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.
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