Where to Recycle Batteries (Including Lithium-Ion & Car Batteries) in Orlando & Orange County, FL

✓ Last verified Oct 24, 2026 against official sources · see sources

Quick Comparison: Which Battery Goes Where in Orlando?

Not all batteries follow the same rules. Check the chemistry on your battery's label before you head to a drop-off bin or roll your cart to the curb:

Option 1: Free County HHW Drop-Off Facilities (City & County Residents)

The City of Orlando sends its residents to the same two permanent Orange County Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and Electronic Waste sites the county uses. Drop-off is free for household (non-commercial) waste, and an attendant is on site to help you unload.

• McLeod Road Transfer Station (5000 L.B. McLeod Rd) is not on the county's list of HHW drop-off sites, so don't bring batteries there.
• Community collection events: Orange County Utilities also holds free HHW & E-Waste community collection events. The October 24, 2026 event (East River High School, 650 E. River Falcons Way, 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.) accepts rechargeable and lead-acid batteries. Check ocfl.net/HHW for future dates.
• Questions: Orange County Solid Waste Hotline at 407-836-6601 ([email protected]). The City of Orlando's HHW page also sends battery questions to this county hotline.

How to Prep Lithium-Ion & Rechargeable Batteries Before Drop-Off

A "dead" battery can still hold enough charge to spark if its terminals touch metal or another battery. Orange County Utilities and The Battery Network (formerly Call2Recycle) both ask you to prep batteries before you transport them:

1. Remove detachable rechargeable batteries from items before you dispose of the item (Orange County Think 5).
2. Bag each battery or tape the terminals (The Battery Network): - Option A (preferred): individual clear bag. Put each battery in its own clear bag, such as a zip-seal, produce, or newspaper bag. Soft-sided (pouch) batteries need bubble-wrap bags. - Option B: tape. Cover the positive terminal with clear packing tape, electrical tape, or duct tape. Avoid masking, painter's, or Scotch tape, which can fall off. If the tape isn't clear, leave the battery's brand and chemistry visible.
3. Keep lithium batteries separated from other batteries (Orange County HHW).
4. Leave non-removable batteries inside the device: Orange County's October 2026 Recycler says to leave the battery in a cell phone, smartwatch, vape, laptop, or other small electronic and bring the whole device to the HHW/E-Waste drop-off.
5. E-bikes and other rechargeable mobility devices: where applicable, follow the manufacturer's instructions for safely removing the battery, and remove e-bike tires before you bring it in (Orange County October 2026 Recycler).

Option 2: Retail Store Drop-Off Bins (Rechargeable & Tool Batteries)

If you only have a few cordless drill packs, laptop batteries, or button cells, Florida DEP's Take Charge Florida points residents to retailers in the Call2Recycle program, which now operates as The Battery Network. The City of Orlando's HHW page also links to it. Use the Battery Network drop-off locator to see which battery types a specific Orlando location accepts.

Swollen, damaged, or recalled lithium-ion batteries: The Battery Network says its drop-off sites don't accept lithium-ion batteries that are swollen, leaking, overheating, or punctured, or batteries under a manufacturer recall. Its guidance: isolate the battery right away, place it in non-flammable material such as sand or kitty litter, keep it out of the trash, water, and recycling bins, and contact the battery's manufacturer for disposal instructions. For local options, call the Orange County Solid Waste Hotline at 407-836-6601 before bringing one to a county site.

Option 3: Car, Boat, Golf-Cart & Lawn-Mower Batteries (Lead-Acid)

• Banned from landfills: Under Florida Statute § 403.708(12)(a), lead-acid batteries may not be disposed of in landfills or waste-to-energy facilities. Orange County doesn't collect automobile parts curbside, and its What Goes Where tool says there's no curbside collection for car batteries.
• Mandatory retailer trade-in: The same law requires everyone who sells lead-acid batteries at retail to accept used lead-acid batteries as trade-ins for new ones. Florida DEP's battery fact sheet says the same thing.
• No-purchase drop-off: If you aren't buying a replacement, Orange County's What Goes Where tool sends car batteries to its household hazardous waste drop-off at the Orange County Landfill (5901 Young Pine Rd) or Porter Transfer Station (1326 Good Homes Rd), open Monday–Saturday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. County community collection events also accept lead-acid batteries. The Battery Network doesn't take car batteries.

What About Everyday AA, AAA, C, D & 9V Alkaline Batteries?

Official sources give conflicting answers on single-use alkaline batteries:

1. Never put any battery in your blue-lid recycling cart. Orange County's Think 5 rules allow only five types of recyclables in that cart, and its roll-cart guidelines say not to put batteries in carts.
2. Sources that say trash is OK: - Florida DEP's Battery Fact Sheet (2024) says mercury was eliminated from alkaline batteries in the 1990s and that "under state law and regulations, alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the trash." - Orange County's What Goes Where tool shows "Battery (Single Use)" with the green-lid garbage cart as the best option ("Put this item in your cart with the green lid").
3. The source that says not to: Orange County's Green Clean roll-cart guidelines say: "To help prevent truck fires, DO NOT place items such as batteries, oil, pool chemicals, and propane tanks in the carts." This rule doesn't make an exception for alkaline batteries.

Our take: Florida DEP says alkaline batteries are legal in the trash, but Orange County's cart rules conflict with its own lookup tool. The safest choice is to keep them out of carts. The Battery Network says single-use batteries are accepted only at some sites, so check its locator for a nearby site that takes them, or call the Solid Waste Hotline at 407-836-6601 to ask what the county wants you to do.

Need Garage Cleanout or Heavy Battery / Equipment Hauling?

If you're clearing out a garage, estate, or workshop full of old UPS units, lawn tractors, mobility scooters, electronics, and bulky junk and don't want to make separate trips to Young Pine Road or Good Homes Road, a local Orlando hauling crew can sort and haul everything in one trip.

What we couldn't verify

• Whether county HHW sites accept single-use alkaline batteries: Orange County's HHW page lists only rechargeable batteries, and we found no official county statement on whether attendants take alkaline batteries.
• Whether county HHW sites take button cells and single-use lithium (CR2032, CR123A): Florida DEP lists them as recyclable, but the county's HHW page doesn't mention them. Call 407-836-6601.
• The City of Orlando's position on single-use alkaline batteries: the City's Too Toxic to Trash page lists rechargeable (Ni-Cd and lithium-ion) batteries as HHW but doesn't mention standard AA/AAA alkaline batteries.
• Orange County's own alkaline answer: the What Goes Where tool shows the green-lid cart, but the county's roll-cart rules say no batteries in carts. The county hasn't resolved the conflict publicly.
• Whether 9V batteries need taped terminals before going in the trash: The Battery Network says single-use alkaline batteries need no terminal protection, while Home Depot's guide recommends taping 9-volt terminals. No Orlando or Orange County source addresses it, so taping is a harmless precaution.
• Best Buy loose-battery drop-off in Florida: Florida DEP and The Battery Network list Best Buy, but Best Buy's own page says it doesn't take stand-alone batteries outside CA and NY. Call your store.
• Batteries Plus policies (single-use acceptance, fees): Florida DEP lists Batteries Plus for rechargeable recycling, but we didn't confirm details on Batteries Plus's own site.
• Holiday closures and battery quantity limits at HHW sites: the county publishes Mon–Sat 8–5 hours and a 25-gallon paint/chemical limit, but no holiday schedule and no pound or count limit for residential batteries. Call 407-836-6601 before hauling a large load.
• County handling of swollen or damaged lithium-ion batteries: Orange County's HHW page has no specific instructions for swollen packs. Call ahead and tell the attendant when you arrive.