Batteries - Health and safety

Many batteries do not present a risk to health and safety if handled correctly. However, some batteries contain hazardous substances that can leak out and others can cause fires if short circuited, broken apart, come into contact with water or are heated up. Therefore, the following common sense measures should be applied to limit the risk posed by the storage of waste portable batteries:

• Ensure the batteries remain dry and cool
• Ensure that other wastes (e.g. paper) are not put into the container
• Ensure that batteries do not have trailing wires that can cause short circuits
• Ensure that batteries that can easily short circuit (e.g. button cells or batteries with large terminals) have the live area covered with tape
• Ensure that the container does not present a tripping hazard or obstruction
• Ensure that the container is stored away from combustible materials