Batteries: disposal and waste prevention

Battery disposal

Batteries do not belong in household waste

You are legally required to dispose of used batteries separately from household waste and to hand them in at a collection point. This applies regardless of where you bought the battery. Returning them is always free of charge for you.

Where you can hand in waste batteries

• At any municipal collection point or recycling centre near you.
• At any shop that sells batteries of the same type – a supermarket, drugstore or DIY store, for example. You do not need to have bought anything there.
• By returning them to us, see below.

Returning batteries to FloraPrima

You can return waste batteries of the types we carry or have carried in our range to us, free of charge and in household quantities. You do not need to have bought anything from us. Please send the batteries, with sufficient postage, to:

FloraPrima GmbH
Reference: Altbatterien
Didderser Str. 28
38176 Wendeburg
Germany

This applies to individual batteries and rechargeable batteries. We do not accept complete devices with permanently installed batteries under this arrangement.

Remove batteries from the device first

If batteries can be removed from a device, you are legally required to take them out before disposal and hand them in separately. With our battery-powered items this is usually possible via the battery compartment.

How to return batteries safely

• Tape over the terminals of lithium batteries and button cells before handing them in, or pack each battery individually. This prevents short circuits and fires.
• Do not put damaged, swollen or leaking batteries into normal collection containers. Take them to a recycling centre and point out the damage.
• Store collected waste batteries in a dry place and out of the reach of children.

Waste prevention and management of waste batteries

This information applies to all batteries and rechargeable batteries we sell or that are contained in our products.

What you can do to produce less battery waste

The longer a battery is used, the less waste is created. You can extend its service life considerably:

• Use rechargeable batteries instead of single-use ones for devices you use frequently.
• Take batteries out of devices you will not be using for a longer period – seasonal decorations after Christmas, for instance. This prevents deep discharge and leakage.
• Store batteries in a dry, cool place and away from metal objects.
• Charge rechargeable batteries with the appropriate charger and avoid full deep discharge.
• Do not mix old and new batteries, or different types, in the same device.
• Before throwing a battery away, check whether it is really empty – often a contact is just dirty or the device itself is faulty.

Beyond continued use, batteries can be reused, repurposed for another application or industrially remanufactured, depending on their type and condition. For portable batteries and button cells of the kind used in our products, material recovery after separate collection is what matters in practice.

Why separate collection matters

Waste batteries in household waste are lost: the raw materials they contain cannot be recovered, and pollutants end up in the environment. Damaged lithium batteries also repeatedly ignite in refuse collection vehicles and sorting plants and cause fires.

Only batteries that are collected separately reach treatment and recycling. There, metals such as zinc, manganese, nickel, cobalt and lithium are recovered and become available for new products. Returning them is therefore the decisive step in the cycle.

Where waste batteries are collected and taken back

• Municipal collection points and recycling centres accept all types of waste batteries free of charge.
• Retailers selling batteries of the relevant type are obliged to take them back free of charge – no new purchase required.
• Returning them to us: free of charge, in household quantities, for battery types from our range. The address can be found in the first part of this page.

Portable waste batteries we take back are passed on to the producers' take-back system, where they are treated and recovered in accordance with the EU Battery Regulation. Components that cannot be recovered are disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.

Handling waste batteries safely

• Tape over the terminals of lithium batteries, lithium-ion batteries and button cells before handing them in, or pack each one individually. Loose batteries can short-circuit each other.
• Batteries containing lithium can catch fire if damaged, overheated or short-circuited. Do not expose them to heat, do not open them and never throw them into a fire.
• Swollen, damaged or leaking batteries do not belong in normal collection containers. Take them to a recycling centre and point out their condition.
• Do not handle leaking batteries with bare hands. If the content touches your skin, rinse the area with plenty of water.
• Button cells are dangerous for children. A swallowed button cell can cause severe chemical burns within a short time – keep new and used button cells out of the reach of children and seek medical help immediately if you suspect one has been swallowed.

What the markings mean

Effects of the substances contained

Depending on the type, batteries contain heavy metals such as cadmium, lead or mercury, as well as acids, alkalis and lithium compounds. If waste batteries are disposed of improperly – in residual waste, in nature or in packaging recycling – these substances can be released.

• Heavy metals accumulate in soil, water and the food chain and do not break down.
• Cadmium and lead can damage the kidneys, nervous system and blood formation in humans; mercury affects the nervous system even in small amounts.
• Leaking electrolytes can burn skin and eyes.
• Batteries containing lithium can self-ignite when damaged and start fires in collection vehicles and sorting plants.

Separate collection means these substances are separated and treated under controlled conditions instead of ending up in the environment.