North Carolina residents must soon follow a new law when discarding used lithium-ion batteries. Starting Dec. 1, it will be illegal to dispose of lithium-ion batteries in landfills and incinerators. That means you can’t throw these batteries in your household trash. Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in electric vehicles, cellphones, security systems, and many household appliances.
The law updates the state’s General Statute G.S. 130A-309.10, which already prohibits disposing items such as lead-acid batteries, televisions and antifreeze in landfills and incinerators.
“In your bathroom, you might have an electric shaver or a toothbrush with a lithium-ion battery,” Matt James, a recycling program analyst at N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, said. “In your kitchen, you might have a blender, rechargeable appliances, that kind of thing. Anything that’s a rechargeable battery is generally going to be considered a lithium-ion battery.”