When batteries are put in our bins at home, they can be squashed, compacted, punctured, shredded, or soak in liquids. When this happens, some batteries (even if they are dead) can get very hot and ignite the rubbish around them. This can cause fires.
It is important to recycle your batteries at designated recycling points. This can be your local household waste recycling centre or stores such as supermarkets, DIY shops, or toy stores.
If you are unsure on where to recycle your batteries, check out Recycle Now’s handy locator tool:
https://www.recyclenow.com/recycle-an-item/batteries
Consider investing in rechargeable batteries too, they may have an initial high cost but can save you money in the long term as they can be used up to 200 times longer than disposable batteries.