HomeSalt Lake City, UTBattery RecyclingLithium Ion Battery Disposal

Battery Recycling · Salt Lake City, UT

Lithium Ion Battery Disposal in Salt Lake City

Before you go

Lithium cells are the item on this site most likely to cause an actual fire. Two minutes of tape prevents nearly all of it.

  1. Tape the terminals

    Clear packing tape or electrical tape over the contacts. It stops a loose cell shorting against metal in a bin, which is one of the ways these start fires. It is not the main one: most battery fires at recycling facilities begin with a cell being crushed, so taping a cell does not make it safe to put in a bin that is not meant for batteries.

  2. Never put them in curbside recycling or the trash

    A lithium cell that gets crushed in a collection truck or a sorting line starts a fire that's very hard to put out. This is the reason your hauler asks.

  3. Handle a swollen or hot battery differently

    Put it in a non-flammable container (a metal tin, or sand or cat litter in a bucket), keep it away from anything that burns, and call the site before you drive over. Some locations won't accept a damaged cell over the counter.

  4. Bag cells individually where tape won't stick

    Recessed or irregular terminals don't hold tape well. A separate zip bag per cell does the same job of keeping contacts apart.

  5. Run it down before it sits in a drawer

    A cell waiting a few days is safer at a low state of charge than a full one. Don't fully discharge it either; around half is the comfortable place.

Compare options

Lithium Ion Battery Disposal in Salt Lake City

4 free · 2 fee-based

3 of 6 have a single address. Chains listed for the whole metro stay in place.
Facility Cost Open now Notes
Salt Lake Valley Landfill - Household Hazardous Waste Facility(801) 541-4078 Free
for Salt Lake County residents		 Mon-Sat 7 AM - 5 PM Walk-in Main HHW drop-off for Salt Lake County. Located at the Salt Lake Valley Landfill.
SLCo Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center (Sandy)(385) 468-4100 Free
for Salt Lake County residents		 Mon-Fri 8 AM - 5 PM, Sat 8 AM - 2 PM Walk-in Dedicated HHW collection center in the Sandy area of Salt Lake County.
The Home Depot (SLC) - Call2Recycle Free Store hours (typically 6 AM - 9 PM) Walk-in Call2Recycle drop-off bins near store entrance.
Lowe's (SLC) - Call2Recycle Free Store hours (typically 6 AM - 9 PM) Walk-in Multiple SLC-area Lowe's locations participate in Call2Recycle. Also accepts CFL bulbs.
Paid or fee-based options
Best Buy (Salt Lake City) - Electronics Recycling Free for most
$29.99 fee for TVs over 50" and large monitors		 Store hours (typically 10 AM - 9 PM) Walk-in All SLC metro Best Buy locations accept electronics recycling.
Batteries Plus (South Salt Lake) Free for most
small fee for some chemistries		 Mon-Sat 8 AM - 7 PM, Sun 10 AM - 5 PM Walk-in Accepts all battery types and light bulbs. Multiple SLC metro locations available.

Where they are

Relative positions across Salt Lake City. Not a street map: use Directions on a facility page to navigate.

5 milesSalt Lake Valley Landfill - Household Hazardous Waste Facility, Salt Lake City (free)SLCo Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center (Sandy), Sandy (free)Batteries Plus (South Salt Lake), Salt Lake City

Free Fee or conditional 3 more listings are not plotted, 3 because they cover a whole metro rather than one address.

  1. Batteries Plus (South Salt Lake)Salt Lake City
  2. Salt Lake Valley Landfill - Household Hazardous Waste FacilitySalt Lake City
  3. SLCo Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center (Sandy)Sandy

How it works in Salt Lake City

Lithium-ion batteries must NEVER go in the blue recycling cart or green trash cart — SLC Sustainability warns they cause truck and MRF fires. Take to any HHW site (Sandy, Salt Lake Valley Landfill, Trans-Jordan) — free for residents. Retail options: Call2Recycle bins at Home Depot, Lowe's, Batteries+Bulbs, IKEA. Tape terminals or bag individually before transport.

Local rules

  • Utah Code 19-6-6 (Lead Acid Battery Disposal): it is illegal to landfill a vehicle/lead-acid battery in Utah; retailers selling lead-acid batteries must accept up to two used batteries from a customer at purchase.
  • Salt Lake County HHW sites publicly state landfills in Salt Lake, Davis, and Summit counties will not knowingly accept hazardous waste (including batteries) from households or businesses, even though there is no formal statewide ban.
  • Utah Code 19-6-910: adopted the federal Universal Waste Rule, regulating management of batteries, pesticides, mercury-containing devices, and lamps to encourage recycling over disposal.

Worth knowing

  • Lead-acid car battery disposal: state law forces retailer takeback — any auto parts store (AutoZone, O'Reilly, NAPA, Interstate) must accept used car batteries; usually with a small core credit.

Salt Lake County household hazardous waste

Salt Lake Valley Landfill HHW Facility

Free for Salt Lake County residents. Accepts paint, batteries, and electronics including TVs/CRTs/computers. Mon-Sat 7 AM-5 PM.

(385) 468-3862 Official program page (opens in a new tab)

15 more Salt Lake City rules, not specific to this item
  • Utah Code 19-6-12 (Disposal of Electronic Waste Program): requires manufacturers to offer collection/recycling for consumer electronics, but Utah does NOT mandate e-waste recycling and has NO statewide landfill ban on electronics — the law is notably more permissive than most western states.
  • Utah is NOT a PaintCare state — no paint stewardship law has passed, so there is no PaintCare-funded drop-off network and no point-of-sale paint recovery fee.
  • Solid waste regulated under Utah Admin Code R315 by the DEQ Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control.
  • Utah Code 19-6-903: prohibits open dumping of solid waste including hazardous materials; landfills are required to have programs preventing hazardous waste acceptance.
  • Three-site HHW model: Sandy collection center (8805 S 700 W), Salt Lake Valley Landfill (6030 W California Ave), Trans-Jordan Landfill (10473 S Bacchus Hwy). Sandy and the Valley Landfill accept electronics; Trans-Jordan does NOT.
  • All three sites are FREE for Salt Lake County residents for household-sized loads — paid for via the county landfill assessment, not per-drop fees.
  • Salt Lake Valley Landfill is residential-only for e-waste; businesses must go to Sandy by appointment (385-468-4380) or to private processors.
  • Salt Lake City residents (SLC proper, garbage-billed by the city) get TWO free Call 2 Haul pickups/year — including e-waste — separate from the county HHW system. WFWRD residents (Holladay, Millcreek, Magna, Taylorsville, etc.) do NOT get this; they rely on county HHW.
  • Murray City Public Works STOPPED accepting HHW/paint — older directories listing Murray are stale. Use the three county sites.
  • Empty or dried-out latex paint cans are NOT accepted at HHW sites (and Utah has no PaintCare network) — residents are on their own to dry small amounts and trash the can.
  • SLC garbage cart is green; recycling cart is blue; compost cart is brown; optional glass cart is gray and runs through Momentum Recycling, not the city.
  • Salt Lake City vs Salt Lake County: 'Salt Lake City' = the city with Call 2 Haul and SLC Sustainability/SLCgreen. 'Salt Lake County' = the broader Health Dept HHW program serving all county residents including SLC.
  • Winter: HHW sites stay on year-round Mon-Sat 7am-5pm hours; occasional weather closures aren't published in advance — call ahead during major snow events.
  • Utah is one of the few Western states without PaintCare — residents in SLC must rely solely on county HHW sites for paint disposal, unlike neighboring states CO (PaintCare) and OR (PaintCare).
  • The Great Salt Lake's receding shoreline has exposed old dump sites and raised environmental concerns about hazardous materials in former landfills — driving increased community awareness about proper HHW disposal.

Other Salt Lake City programs

Where this came from: 14 sources

Common questions

About Lithium Ion Battery Disposal here

How much does Lithium Ion Battery disposal cost in this area?

4 of 6 facilities (67%) offer free disposal for Lithium Ion Battery. Facilities that may charge: Best Buy (Salt Lake City) - Electronics Recycling, Batteries Plus (South Salt Lake). Best Buy (Salt Lake City) - Electronics Recycling: Free for most items. $29.99 fee for TVs over 50" and large monitors.. Batteries Plus (South Salt Lake): Free for most household batteries; small fee for some chemistries.

Do I need an appointment for Lithium Ion Battery drop-off?

No appointment needed. Salt Lake Valley Landfill - Household Hazardous Waste Facility, SLCo Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center (Sandy), Best Buy (Salt Lake City) - Electronics Recycling, The Home Depot (SLC) - Call2Recycle accept walk-ins.

Is pickup available for Lithium Ion Battery?

Most facilities require you to drop off Lithium Ion Battery. Check individual listings for special arrangements.

Are there quantity limits for Lithium Ion Battery drop-off?

Some facilities have limits: Salt Lake Valley Landfill - Household Hazardous Waste Facility: 30 gallons max for paint. Residential quantities for other items.; SLCo Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center (Sandy): 30 gallons max for paint; Best Buy (Salt Lake City) - Electronics Recycling: 3 items per day; The Home Depot (SLC) - Call2Recycle: Residential quantities.

Why do I need to tape battery terminals?

Lithium-ion batteries can short circuit if the positive and negative terminals touch metal (keys, coins, wires). This can cause fires in collection bins and trucks. Use clear tape or electrical tape to cover the terminals.

Can lithium-ion batteries go in the trash?

Never — lithium-ion batteries are classified as hazardous waste. They can cause fires in landfills and recycling facilities. All states require them to be recycled or disposed as hazardous waste.

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