Cordless Appliances
What Should I Do With It?
Cordless household appliances, such as stick vacuums, power tools, and electronic personal care items, require careful handling at the end of their lives due to their built-in power sources. Most cordless gadgets rely on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which pose a severe fire risk if they are crushed or punctured inside garbage trucks or standard recycling plants. To prevent dangerous facility fires and keep workers safe, always check if the battery can be removed. If it is removable, take it out to recycle at a specialized battery collection site, and recycle the remaining metal body as scrap. If the battery is permanently sealed inside, the entire appliance must be treated as electronic waste and brought to a certified drop-off depot or a participating retail take-back program.
Safety First
This item contains chemicals, heavy metals, or batteries that can be dangerous. Throwing it in your regular trash can cause fires, hurt sanitation workers, or leak harmful chemicals into the environment.
Before throwing this away, see if it can be fixed up, given to a friend, or donated to a local thrift shop. Keeping items in use is the best way to stop waste before it starts!
The recycling guidelines shown here are for general reference and educational purposes. Every city and town has different rules, sorting equipment, and recycling programs.
Please check your local town website or ask your local garbage collection program to make sure you are following your neighborhood's rules.