Washington State University
Environmental Health & Safety Battery Recycling

What should I do with my used batteries?

Batteries from University owned or used equipment must be recycled. WSU’s Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) program accepts, at no charge, all types of batteries (including alkaline, lead acid, nickel cadmium, lithium and mercury) to recover the heavy metals and other hazardous components. Batteries from university equipment or departments may be recycled in two different ways.

Batteries commonly collected for recycling
EH&S has worked with many departments to establish centralized containers where all batteries for recycling may be placed. If you do not know where you centralized container is or would like to establish one, please contact EH&S, 335-3041. The containers provided by EH&S have a label affixed that reads “Universal Waste Batteries and Accumulation Start Date: XX/YY/ZZ”.

The lid to the container must be sealed when not putting batteries in.  If we supply your container we will annually go to your location, pick up the batteries and relabel your container. If you fill your container please contact EH&S at 335-3041.

If your department does not want a container, it is easy to arrange a collection by filling out an online Chemical Collection Request form (CCR).

Batteries from home or personal equipment should not be thrown in the University’s collection containers.  There are several places to recycle these batteries including the WSU Outdoor Recreation Center, Whitman County Transfer Station, and Moscow Recycling.