E-waste & batteries
Victoria, Australia
If you’ve got a drawer full of dead remotes, an old power tool battery, or a car battery sitting in the shed, it’s worth knowing this: in Victoria, batteries can’t legally go in your household bin. They’re classified as e‑waste, and e‑waste has been banned from landfill across the state since 2019.
It’s not just a paperwork rule. Damaged or crushed batteries – especially rechargeable lithium-ion ones found in power tools, vapes, e-bikes and portable chargers – can spark and cause fires when they end up in rubbish trucks or recycling facilities. That risk is exactly why batteries need to be handled differently to your regular rubbish or recycling.
Why this matters
Fire Rescue Victoria estimates it responds to roughly one battery-related fire a day caused by rechargeable batteries crushed in bins, trucks or recycling facilities. Victorian waste operators have issued the same warning closer to home - one regional recovery centre summed it up plainly: a single battery can burn a truck, with fires able to take hold within seconds of a battery being crushed.
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The rules, in plain English
E-waste has been banned from landfill in Victoria since 1 July 2019. This includes anything with a plug, battery or power cord - batteries, phones, power tools, laptops, vapes, and whitegoods. (EPA Victoria)
Batteries can't go in any household bin - not general waste, and not your yellow-lid recycling bin either, unless it's specifically marked for battery or e-waste collection. (vic.gov.au)
Small batteries have free drop-off points across the state. Lithium-ion batteries can be dropped off at over a thousand sites across Victoria, including supermarkets, hardware stores and council transfer stations - use the drop-off finder linked below to find your nearest one.
It's illegal to dump e-waste, and businesses managing larger volumes have extra obligations around storage, transport and - in some cases - permits for moving waste batteries interstate.
For a single household battery or two, a free community drop-off point is the easiest option. But if you’ve accumulated a larger volume – a stack of old power tool batteries, a couple of car batteries, or a garage clear-out – there’s a better option than driving around to find a drop-off point: sell them.
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When it's worth selling instead
Not every battery is worthless once it’s flat. Lead-acid batteries – the type used in cars, trucks, boats and ride-on mowers – contain recoverable lead and are generally worth more than smaller household batteries. Recycling lead this way also uses significantly less energy than mining and processing new lead from ore, so there’s a genuine environmental upside on top of the cash.
SGS Service
Scrap Batteries → We collect car, truck and industrial batteries and pay for the ones with recoverable value.
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How we handle it
We’ve built our process around the two things that matter most with batteries: safety and convenience. For anything beyond a couple of small household batteries, we’ll come to you rather than you having to transport batteries yourself – which matters given how easily damaged batteries can become a fire risk in transit. Pricing depends on battery type, condition and current market rates, and we’ll talk you through it before you commit to anything.
If you’re a tradie, mechanic, or business that goes through batteries regularly – think fleet vehicles, forklifts, or backup power systems – this is where regular pickups start to add up. Rather than treating spent batteries as a disposal cost, they become part of your regular scrap metal collection.
We also take batteries as part of broader clean-outs. If you’re clearing scrap metal from a property in one of our pickup areas, batteries can be collected in the same visit:
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What to do right now
Got one or two household batteries? Use the state's battery drop-off point finder to find your nearest free location.
Got a car battery, a stack of power tool batteries, or a bulk load? Get in touch with our team for a free quote and pickup.
Not sure what counts as e-waste? As a general rule - if it has a plug, a battery, or a power cord, it doesn't belong in your household bin.
Batteries are one of the few household items where doing the right thing and making a bit of money aren’t in conflict – it’s just a matter of knowing where they need to go.
Got batteries or scrap metal to clear out?
Free pickup, fair pricing, and responsible recycling across our Melbourne and Pakenham service area.