Keith Berriman Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 After butting in on another thread re battery problems I have decided I have a duff battery surplus to requirements what is best way to dispose of them. I have read the 4 Max pdf sheet but thats over 2 weeks work before disposal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Walsh Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 Not sure that I would recommend the method but I have seen a damaged LiPo disposed of by hammering a nail through it and watching it burn followed by dropping the remains into a bucket of water for a while. Also, your local recycling centre may off the facilities to recycle lipos. Edited By Shaun Walsh on 31/08/2020 13:32:17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 I put mine in an old margerine tub/curry tray WHY filled with salty water and tuck them away in a corner of the garden for a few weeks (read: until I remember it's there sometime next March) then drop them off in the battery pound at the council recycling centre (aka "the tip" ) when I next have a load to dispose of. Edited By Bob Cotsford on 31/08/2020 13:37:16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lee Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 Keith, have a look at the BMFA Battery Safety Booklet, page 14 gives guidance on disposal. Link Basically discharge to zero using a resistor or bulb & then put in the local authority battery recycling facility. Bob, in that booklet it states "one thing that must be stated is that the widespread suggestion that disposal should be preceded by degradation in a bucket of salt water is not now recommended. This process adds Lithium salts to the water, and the disposal of this through our normal drainage systems is likely to affect the work of our Water Authorities, who use Lithium as a trace element when locating leaks....." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Walsh Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 Posted by John Lee on 31/08/2020 14:04:23: Keith, have a look at the BMFA Battery Safety Booklet, page 14 gives guidance on disposal. Link Basically discharge to zero using a resistor or bulb & then put in the local authority battery recycling facility. Bob, in that booklet it states "one thing that must be stated is that the widespread suggestion that disposal should be preceded by degradation in a bucket of salt water is not now recommended. This process adds Lithium salts to the water, and the disposal of this through our normal drainage systems is likely to affect the work of our Water Authorities, who use Lithium as a trace element when locating leaks....." Some chargers also have a "Discharge" setting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perttime Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 My charger refuses to discharge lower than 3V / cell. So I discharged to that, cut the connectors off one wire at a time and taped the wires to opposite sides of the pack. Then off to the nearest battery recycling point. Edited By perttime on 31/08/2020 15:06:18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 Connect a couple of flying leads - or use a pair of connectors of your choice on the battery end - onto an old car headlight or stop/indicator lamp and use that to completely flatten the pack - should be OK up to 3S and for more, put 2 lamps in series. For lamps, you might prefer to use the word bulbs but years of storemen trumpeting "bulbs is wot you plant in your garden" have scarred me for life and I can't bring myself to use the word in this context! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 Posted by John Lee on 31/08/2020 14:04:23: Keith, have a look at the BMFA Battery Safety Booklet, page 14 gives guidance on disposal. Link Basically discharge to zero using a resistor or bulb & then put in the local authority battery recycling facility. Bob, in that booklet it states "one thing that must be stated is that the widespread suggestion that disposal should be preceded by degradation in a bucket of salt water is not now recommended. This process adds Lithium salts to the water, and the disposal of this through our normal drainage systems is likely to affect the work of our Water Authorities, who use Lithium as a trace element when locating leaks....." I find that surprising unless the pack has been punctured! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 Posted by Bob Cotsford on 31/08/2020 13:34:57: I put mine in an old margerine tub/curry tray WHY filled with salty water and tuck them away in a corner of the garden for a few weeks (read: until I remember it's there sometime next March) then drop them off in the battery pound at the council recycling centre (aka "the tip" ) when I next have a load to dispose of. The salt water method as a primary means of discharge really needs to be consigned to history. There is no guarantee it will be effective in discharging a pack to 0V - yes salt water conducts electricity, but it’s also extremely corrosive stuff that will corrode the connector/wire ends. You are then left with the worst of all worlds - a pack that may not be discharged, but no way to discharge it! If you slash the cell first that would ensure full discharge in salt water, but that in itself is extremely dangerous if the battery has any significant % of charge left. As the BMFA point out lithium salts will also be released that are polluting. Far, far simpler and safer to just discharge across a suitable bulb (12v for 3S, 48V or 2x 12V in series for 4-6S) for a day or so, strip the ends for the connector then take to your recycling centre. No pollution, no safety issues, job done! If you really won’t give up on salt water at least discharge it to no more than 1V/cell first, that way whatever happens you will have a battery ready for disposal afterwards. Edited By MattyB on 31/08/2020 19:17:41 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just A ModelGuy Posted July 21, 2022 Share Posted July 21, 2022 HI just paid the small fee to a company to collect, i went to the tip but they seemed to have a problem with Li-ion battery i was trying to dispose of and recommended i call a local company to dispose the battery properly. Like most discharging it fully was a pain and so the company did it for me and i gave them a load of old PC bits and bobs too (WEEE) which kept the cost down. Some links if interested WEEE Disposal company Battery collection and disposal company. I just found it way less hassle to pay them as i didnt want to risk some cowboys dumping them or the battery splitting and causing the next fire of london! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Billinge Posted July 21, 2022 Share Posted July 21, 2022 I have a setting on my charger buried in the sub menus, which will basically slowly discharge a lipo to 0V. I then take it along to the recycling box at my local big Tesco where it goes in to be collected with all the other battery types. Hopefully, down the chain somewhere, somebody recovers all that poisonous, nasty Lithium and sends it to Skegness, or France, or St Oseth, or somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 (edited) 9 hours ago, Keith Billinge said: Hopefully, down the chain somewhere, somebody recovers all that poisonous, nasty Lithium and sends it to Skegness, or France, or St Oseth, or somewhere? I object! What have you got against my home town, Skeggy? Edited July 22, 2022 by Trevor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 Discharging a damaged lipo couldn't be easier. Just solder a couple of fly leads to an appropriate auto bulb for the pack size, connect it to the battery and leave it outdoors to discharge over time. I pop the battery into an old base of a chimney pot, but will leave it in there overnight, Then, when fully discharged clip the leads off to stubs, seal the ends with a bit of tape and take it to the battery box at the recycling centre. I certainly wouldn't pay a third party to discharge and dispose of a duff battery- if I do it myself I know it's been done properly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stephenson Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 Our local tip makes no distinction between any kind of "consumer" battery so that's where I take all my old R/C batteries of any type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 Likewise. Our local recycling centre is manned by a semi-retired Unterscharfuhrer who's attitude has to be experienced to be believed- almost every trip is an interrogation- but, thus far I haven't encountered any discrimination of different types of consumer batteries. Now if you were to leave some parcel tape attached to a cardboard box and go to put it into the cardboard recycling and that's a different matter! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 Post deleted as it contained an image which was totally unacceptable on this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GONZO Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 My local council, Conwy North Wales, told me to just cut off the leads and then put it with the rest of the dead batteries for the recycling crew to tip in their 'dead battery bin'. Must be OK as I've not heard of any recycling lorry's catching fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin Mack Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 a simple google search Councils say batteries 'caused 600 waste fires' | MRW Brighton and Hove News » Batteries explode inside Brighton bin lorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stephenson Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Our local council told us that they would collect batteries if left bagged on top of the wheelie bin but after the first few times I did this I discovered that they had emptied the bin and thrown the batteries back into the empty bin. They were asking for trouble doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, Gavin Mack said: a simple google search Councils say batteries 'caused 600 waste fires' | MRW Brighton and Hove News » Batteries explode inside Brighton bin lorry I would love to see their “evidence” for clapped out 1S Li ion electric toothbrush batteries starting fires; in my experience by the time most people chuck them out they barely contain enough energy to do a single brush cycle without a recharge! Edited July 24, 2022 by MattyB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangster Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 I cannot see why so many people make such a song and dance of this. It’s as if there is some king of black magic involved. Just flatten the damn things as gently as you like through a bulb. When the light goes out they have no further energy to set anything on fire. As someone said the salt water business has been discredited. Never really understood the need for it anyway 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stephenson Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Even when completely flat LiPos still contain flammable materials so even if they can't be the source of a fire they can sure get one roaring if started by other means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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