The convenience of portable electronic products has become a necessary part of our lifestyles. Batteries serve as their source of power and will only continue to increase in volume as more portable electronic products are developed for consumers. The use of rechargeable batteries in these devices can help to conserve resources and save you money. Some rechargeable batteries can be reused several hundred times before their end-of-life. Once that end-of-life has been reached it is important to ensure that they are disposed of properly.

Under Florida law, it is illegal to discard nickel-cadmium or small sealed lead acid rechargeable batteries or products containing such rechargeable batteries in the trash. This prohibition applies to every resident as well as every business, institutional, government, industrial, commercial, communications or medical facility in the state. The batteries must be recycled or sent to a special facility permitted to dispose of those batteries. For more information about this regulation, please visit the FDEP website.

The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) provides recycling services for many types rechargeable batteries including: Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-ion) and Small Sealed Lead* (Pb). Several manufacturers contribute to pay for this service so that it is free of charge to consumers. They provide an online locator service that you can use to find the closest location that will accept and recycle your household rechargeable batteries. They can also be contacted at 1(800) 8-BATTERY.

Additionally, residents can dispose of batteries at one of the County's Home Chemical Collection Centers. Please visit the  Department of Solid Waste Management for additional information.

For residents who are served by some other contracted waste service, contact your municipality or waste service company directly to determine if they accept batteries for recycling.