Old batteries after the clock change: tape the 9-volts, bag the lithium, and keep both out of the trash

This weekend’s swap

NIST lists the 2026 change as November 1 at 2 a.m. local time. At 2 a.m. the clock goes back to 1 a.m., so that hour happens twice. Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands don’t observe daylight saving time, so clocks there don’t move. [S1]

For the alarm side of the job, such as which chirp means a low battery and which means the alarm itself is worn out, see our smoke alarm chirp guide. This page picks up where that one ends: the batteries that come out.

9-volts: tape the posts

NFPA’s tip sheet explains the risk. The two posts on a 9-volt battery sit close together. If a metal object touches both, it can short the battery and make enough heat to start a fire. [S2]

• Weak isn’t dead. NFPA says weak 9-volts can still have enough charge to cause a fire, and some fires have started in trash when 9-volts were thrown away with other metal items. [S2]
• Cover both posts. Before you get rid of a 9-volt, NFPA says to cover the positive and negative posts with masking, duct or electrical tape. [S2]
• Not in the drawer. NFPA says not to store 9-volts loose in a drawer near paper clips, coins, pens or other batteries, or near steel wool, aluminum foil and keys. [S2]
• Spares stay packed. Keep new 9-volts in their original packaging until you use them, store them standing up, and keep them where they won’t get tossed around. NFPA also says not to keep them in a container with other batteries. If one is loose, tape its posts. [S2]
• Where they go. NFPA says 9-volts shouldn’t go out with the trash and can go to a household hazardous waste collection site. It notes some states don’t allow any battery in the trash. [S2]

Lithium and rechargeables: tape or bag

EPA says lithium-ion batteries, and devices with them inside, should not go in household garbage or recycling bins. Damaged or crushed in the truck or by sorting equipment, they can start a fire. [S3] [S4]

• Find the word “lithium.” Single-use lithium batteries can look like ordinary alkaline sizes, and EPA lists smoke detectors among the products that use them. EPA says to look for the word lithium on the battery, and that battery type is told by its marking and label, not its shape or color. [S3] [S4]
• Tape or bag each one. For lithium single-use, coin, button and rechargeable batteries, EPA says to put each battery in its own plastic bag or put non-conductive tape, such as electrical tape, over the terminals. [S3] [S4]
• Rechargeables too. EPA’s rechargeable list includes lithium-ion, nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH), nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd) and nickel-zinc. Its advice for all of them: read the label for the chemistry, and keep them out of the trash and the recycling bin. [S3]
• Built-in batteries. If the battery doesn’t come out, EPA says to take the whole device to a certified electronics recycler, a retailer takeback program, or a local electronics or household hazardous waste collection. [S3] [S4]
• “Used” still has energy. EPA says batteries can have enough energy to injure or start fires even when they’re used and seem discharged. [S3] [S4]

Bigger lithium batteries, like the ones in e-bikes, have their own rules. Our e-bike battery guide covers charging and storage.

Coin cells and kids

Poison Control says more than 3,500 people of all ages swallow button batteries in the United States each year. The 20 mm lithium coin cell is behind most of the serious cases. It often carries one of three codes: CR2032, CR2025 or CR2016. [S9] [S10]

• Old ones count. Poison Control says to store spare batteries, and batteries waiting to be recycled, out of sight and reach of young children, and never to leave batteries sitting out. [S10]
• Tape around the whole cell. EPA’s step for coin and button cells is tape around the entire button, or a bag for each one. [S3]
• Swap out of sight. Poison Control says not to put in or change batteries in front of small children. [S10]
• Check the doors. After the swap, check that battery compartments on remotes, key fobs, scales, toys and flameless candles are shut. Poison Control suggests strong tape on any a child can open or that might pop open if dropped. [S10]
• Penny-sized or bigger. Poison Control says to be especially careful with any battery as big as a penny or larger. [S10]

Our flameless candle guide has more on the battery doors in tea lights and decorations.

Trash, recycling bin or drop-off

EPA’s general line is that used batteries can always be recycled or taken to household hazardous waste collection. To find a drop-off, EPA points to Earth911 and Call2Recycle. [S3] [S4]

• Alkaline and zinc-carbon. EPA says most communities let these go in household trash, but its recommendation is to send them to battery recyclers or check with your local or state solid waste authority. [S3]
• Coin, button and lithium single-use. EPA says not to put them in the trash or municipal recycling bins. [S3]
• Rechargeable. EPA says not to put them in the trash or municipal recycling bins either. Take them to a battery recycler, a participating retailer’s takeback or household hazardous waste collection. [S3]
• Car and other lead-acid batteries. EPA says to return them to a battery retailer or local household hazardous waste collection, never the trash or recycling bin. [S3]

In California

California is stricter. DTSC counts batteries as universal waste, including most alkaline batteries, carbon-zinc, silver button, mercury, nickel cadmium and small sealed lead acid batteries. It says households must recycle their universal waste and may not throw it in the trash. Its household hazardous waste page adds that disposing of household hazardous waste in the trash, down the drain or by abandonment is illegal, and lists batteries as a common example. [S6] [S7]

• Where to take them. DTSC lists household hazardous waste facilities, curbside household hazardous waste programs and retailer or manufacturer takeback among the places that can accept them. Some facilities need an appointment or are only open on set days. [S6] [S7]
• Store takeback, for now. Under a 2006 state law, many retailers that sell rechargeable batteries must take back, at no cost, a used rechargeable battery of a type or brand they sell or have sold. Large chain supermarkets and stores under one million dollars in yearly sales are exempt. DTSC says a 2022 law, the Responsible Battery Recycling Act, replaces the 2006 law on January 1, 2027. [S8]

Swollen or leaking

EPA, citing the Department of Transportation, lists signs of a damaged battery: bulging or swelling, odors, excess heat, smoke, discoloration, corrosion, damaged wires, leaking and odd noises. In lithium batteries, it says, swelling can come before a fire. [S5]

• Keep it apart. Put the damaged battery in its own plastic bag and keep it away from your other batteries. EPA’s handling steps call for a separate bag per battery, and its collection guide says not to store damaged batteries with undamaged ones. [S4] [S5]
• Call the maker. If a lithium-ion battery is damaged, EPA says to contact the battery or device maker for handling instructions. [S4]
• Not at the curb. EPA says damaged and defective batteries don’t belong in curbside trash or recycling bins. [S5]

Check a battery

Pick the battery and where you live. The check puts the NFPA, EPA, DTSC and Poison Control points from this page in one place. Your city or county drop-off rules still come first. [S2] [S3] [S4] [S6] [S10]

Not sure what kind it is? Read the battery itself. EPA says the type is in the marking and label, not the shape or color. [S3]

Before the drop-off

While you’re on the ladder, our carbon monoxide alarm guide covers where those alarms belong.

Quick answers