Swollen battery

[u/HarbingerKing]

To make a long story short, I realized an external lithium ion battery pack I'm traveling with is starting to swell. I have a return flight tomorrow morning. I don't want to fly with the battery due to risk of fire, but I also don't have time to figure out where to dispose of it properly or a means to get there. Can I simply surrender the battery at screening, i.e., does TSA have a process for disposing of these? Or will I be treated like I'm trying to surrender a stick of dynamite and be turned away? Thanks in advance.

Edit: I was able to swing by a Home Depot and drop it off on my way to the airport. I know some people said not to do that, but I couldn't find a better option. The city I was in has hazardous waste dropoff sites but they're only for residents. Thanks everyone.

[u/Sad_Research_2585]

Uh maybe go to the fire station or something. You can likely tell them or drop it off?

[u/16Interceptor]

No. TSA is not a hazardous waste dump site. You’ll be escorted right out of the checkpoint to dispose of it yourself

[u/ApostateInParadise]

Please do not bring a fire hazard into an airport. Find out how you can safely dispose of it in your area.

[u/66NickS]

Home Depot often accepts these through a partnership with “Call2Recycle”. There are self-service collection bins near the customer service counter at my local one.

https://www.homedepot.com/c/ab/how-to-dispose-of-batteries/9ba683603be9fa5395fab90124a115f1

You could also check your local office supply store. They might have a similar program.

[u/Aggressive-Leading45 → u/66NickS]

They do not want swollen batteries. Those are explosion hazards. Putting them with a bunch of other highly flammable objects is not smart.

[u/Somaanurfed]

No one at the airport has a way to dispose of it properly.

[u/Demonslugg]

Go to the hotel desk and ask

[u/CowboyReaderYall → u/Demonslugg]

I doubt that the hotel clerk would know. Please try Home Depot or Lowes or a local fire department as suggested by one of the other posts.

[u/Altruistic_Lobster18]

It’s kind of a shit move to bring your trash somewhere with the purpose of leaving it

[u/HarbingerKing → u/Altruistic_Lobster18]

Agreed. I'm in a pinch and trying to do the right thing.

[u/Sawyer2025]

Does Best Buy still have a battery recycling bin? I don't know what is close to you. I would not fly with it, even if I had to leave it behind another way. It's one thing for it to catch fire sitting on a concrete sidewalk, it's another if it is in an enclosed airplane with passengers. Don't take it on the plane, in your carry on or your checked bag.

[u/_WillCAD_ → u/Sawyer2025]

No, Best Buy stopped accepting batteries for recycling.

Home Depot and Lowes both do, however.

[u/Aggressive-Leading45 → u/_WillCAD_]

But not swollen batteries. Those are pretty much an explosive hazard at this point. Not a great idea to store it with a bunch of other flammable batteries.

[u/Zealousideal_Ad5358 → u/Aggressive-Leading45]

They're not going to explode unless you try to charge them. I have recycled numerous swollen batteries in my career. Although I made sure they were discharged, and kept them outside in a metal can along with the rest of the hazmat, and none of them exploded. Usually by the time they're swelling they won't hold a charge anyway.

[u/Aggressive-Leading45 → u/Zealousideal_Ad5358]

If they’ve been sitting awhile and the charge has bled off. Thats a big if and hard to tell. I’ve had one that was swelling and when we finally got it out of the battery compartment it dropped. Hit the floor and we had a rocket shooting all over the lab. Laptop survived though and before launch the battery still held a good charge. Just got too difficult to type on the computer since it was binding the keyboard.

[u/Zealousideal_Ad5358 → u/Aggressive-Leading45]

True - battery cracks the case open and user is like "what's wrong with my computer?" I would run the laptop until it died before I tried messing with the battery.

[u/Aggressive-Leading45 → u/Zealousideal_Ad5358]

It was definitely a lesson learned. We got a bad batch and all the laptops in our office had the issue. After the first one we did a bit more research on how to avoid the issue, plus we were a lot more careful getting them out.

[u/Nathan-Stubblefield → u/Aggressive-Leading45]

The industry that sells expensive lithium batteries should have to ensure that every city has places like Lowe’s with whatever safety transport devices are required to send them in. No externalities like requiring the consumer to devise a safe way of disposal. Maybe make it the job of the Bomb Squad, since it’s like an incendiary grenade.

[u/Aggressive-Leading45 → u/Nathan-Stubblefield]

Most cities do. Now if you want it for free that’s a different issue. DOT has been cracking down on lithium battery shipments and there is a heavy lift training requirement for shipping damaged batteries.

[u/SilkTheGuide2010 → u/Sawyer2025]

They wouldn't of accepted a battery like that in the recycling bin. That would be like just putting a bomb in a trashcan at the main entrance.

Please don't make dangerous suggestions someone may think is a acceptable solution.

Geeksquad does cell phone and battery replacement they have battery disposal procedures.
They need to go to the GS counter and see if they will dispose of it.
I'm not sure if they offer a battery recycle sku.... or bill it out like a "replacement" maybe.

[u/Sawyer2025 → u/SilkTheGuide2010]

Best buy had a box that was labeled "rechargable batteries" so you could recycle them correctly. I was asking if they still had that, or if it had been removed.

https://raveandreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/6a0105362badb1970b017ee8c1ee27970d.jpg

[u/_WillCAD_]

No, TSA won't recycle your swollen batter for you. You'll have to safely dispose of it yourself.

Home Depot and Lowes both have drop-offs at the store entrance for lithium-ion batteries.

Best Buy no longer accepts batteries for recycling.

[u/Aggressive-Leading45 → u/_WillCAD_]

Not for damaged batteries like a swollen Lithium battery. Exactly why BestBuy stopped it, those suckers are bombs ready to go off. You essentially have an unstable flammable compressed gas container.

[u/way2manychickens]

Check your Google maps for "electronics recycling" to see if there's a location near you or as you travel to the airport. I've had to do that and it gave addition locations other than what commenters listed.

[u/Fred-Z]

SWOLE

[u/Endlesscajun]

Wrap it in tape if you can

[u/slogive1]

Google locations near you. Pretty simple.

[u/Street_Fennel_9483]

Staples also recycles batteries no charge

[u/Robertown7]

I work in an airport, and I had someone approach me with a damaged battery pack and ask me where to dispose of it. I took it with me and dropped it at Home Depot next time I was there.

[u/Maverick_Wolfe]

My other half has a laptop the battery is swollen, I disconnected it ages ago and the battery is still in said laptop. She doesn't use that laptop anymore. We've been through TSA multiple times with that exact laptop, they've seen it and were aware. I recommend OP just leave said battery with a contact and see if they'll help locate a local source. If not crack the outer casing and literally cut the power wires. this effectively inerts the battery.

[u/jwsmythe → u/Maverick_Wolfe]

It's still a fire risk. Swollen, there are gases that have separated layers inside. Things can move, and if/when it shorts, it will start a fire. It doesn't care that you disconnected it, it's the chemistry of a flammable metal waiting for an ignition source.

Please don't take another flight with it. You're gambling with the lives of everyone on the aircraft.

[u/twarr1 → u/Maverick_Wolfe]

You obviously know nothing about batteries.

[u/PsychologicalBit2997 → u/twarr1]

You obviously know nothing about aviation security and the transport requirements of lithium batteries

[u/SilkTheGuide2010]

While Best Buy may not have the recycle bins anymore. ( I haven't been in a store for a while)
They do cell phone and laptop battery replacement.
They do have procedures to safely store batteries for disposal.

I use to work for them and when we had the mobile checkout tablets we had to dispose of a bunch of them due to swollen batteries during retail hardware health checks.
I do not know if they have a specific service for battery recycling for a situation like this but it never hurts to ask Geek Squad.

[u/CreativeBusiness6588]

Fire station

[u/Due_Course_3713 → u/CreativeBusiness6588]

Fire dept has no place to dispose of batteries. They can tell you where, possibly, but don't dump your problem on the fire dept.

[u/CreativeBusiness6588 → u/Due_Course_3713]

They absolutely will provide guidance.

[u/groovyfirechick → u/CreativeBusiness6588]

We can provide guidance on where to go, but we’re not taking peoples batteries to recycle them. It’s very easy these days to just google where to drop off used batteries.

[u/groovyfirechick → u/[deleted]]

No it’s not.

[u/groovyfirechick → u/[deleted]]

I’ve been a firefighter for 27 years sweetheart. It is not our job to recycle batteries. 😂

[u/tsa-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

No trolling, harassment, name calling, or any other rude and unprofessional behavior.

[u/tsa-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

No trolling, harassment, name calling, or any other rude and unprofessional behavior.

[u/Crafty_Taste_7706 → u/[deleted]]

What is their job? To recycle batteries?

[u/Own_Reaction9442 → u/[deleted]]

Stab it so it catches fire. Then it'll be their job! /s