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If you’ve heard that Lithium-ion batteries shouldn’t be thrown in the trash, here’s why:
- Commonly used Lithium-ion batteries can leech toxic chemicals into the ground, making sending them to a landfill a bad idea.
- On top of that, they are flammable. If they are crushed, stabbed, heated, or aged over around 20 seconds, they can start to smoke, spark, and produce a jet flame up to 222 degrees Celsius.
- This happens because punctures increase the pressure inside the battery, kicking off a chemical reaction. The added heat melts the film between the positive and negative electrodes, causing a short circuit.
- If the battery isn’t totally drained when you throw it out, its charge can fuel that fire.
To avoid the danger of fire, you can either recycle them with the manufacturer or take them to hazardous waste collection points. There’s a link in our pinned comment to help you find one near you.