Don’t bin your batteries – drop them off instead!

Residents are being encouraged to keep used batteries out of their bins.

The City of Ballarat, in partnership with Sustainability Victoria, has launched a Small Acts, Big Impact campaign to encourage residents to drop off their used household, computer and car batteries for free at the Ballarat Transfer Station – so they can be recycled.  

Batteries can cause fires in bins, waste collection vehicles, recycling facilities and landfills.

In 2024, the City of Ballarat experienced three incidents involving batteries from cordless power tools which caused sparks and smouldering inside waste collection vehicles.

Fortunately, the incidents were quickly contained by staff and did not result in full-scale fires. However, they highlight the serious safety risks batteries pose when not disposed of properly.

In each case, the batteries were incorrectly placed in residents’ yellow lid recycling bins. When the bins were emptied into collection trucks and compacted, the batteries were crushed, triggering small fires when the loads were emptied.  

The City of Ballarat’s waste collection vehicles are all fitted with fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems. The fire suppression system enables drivers to quickly connect a garden hose to flood the load and enables firefighters to attach their own hoses when needed.

Even with these systems in place, the damage from fire and water means the entire truckload of recycling cannot be processed and must be sent to landfill. These events also disrupt services and can lead to delays to household kerbside collection schedules.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves said battery fires are a strong reminder that batteries should never go in your household waste, mixed recycling or green waste bins.

“Batteries can be dangerous if not disposed of correctly,” she said.

“It only takes a few minutes to drop them off safely to the Ballarat Transfer Station and it makes a big difference.”

All batteries are made up of toxic substances and can pose risks to you, your property and the people who empty your bins. This includes batteries in laptops, mobile phones, cameras, power tools and toys. These hazardous materials pollute the environment when disposed of in landfill.

Recycling used batteries correctly means we can make the most of existing resources and rely less on mining new materials.

To store your batteries safely at home before taking them to the Transfer Station in Gillies Street:

• Cover the ends of used batteries with duct tape or clear sticky tape, to prevent sparking and reduce the risk of fire
• Store them in a cool, dry place away from heat sources, and
• Keep them away from children and pets.

You can recycle AA, button and rechargeable batteries as well as batteries from cars, laptops, mobile phones, cameras, power tools and electronic toys.

Download the Ballarat Waste App for the latest updates to waste and recycling.