E-cycle_Content Page_Battery Recycling Law

Wisconsin's Battery Recycling Law

Batteries are rapidly becoming more prevalent in the waste stream and contain valuable materials that can be recovered and reused. Improper disposal of batteries is not only a threat to Wisconsin’s environment but also a safety risk to workers who encounter and handle these batteries. As fires related to lithium-ion batteries become increasingly common, proper battery handling and end-of-life management has become even more important. This page provides information about the 2026 Wisconsin law that aims to create a more robust, sustainable system of battery collection and recovery across Wisconsin.

This producer-funded program, sometimes referred to as product stewardship or Extended Producer Responsibility, shifts responsibility for end-of-life management of batteries to the producers and manufacturers that put these batteries on the market. When producers are responsible for where their products end up after they are sold, they are encouraged to consider the environmental, financial and health and safety impacts their products have on communities. While we all play a role in responsibly managing batteries, producer responsibility reduces the burden of improper battery disposal on the waste sector and removes barriers to battery recycling for the public.

Program Overview

2025 Wisconsin Acts 170 [exit DNR] and 171 [exit DNR] require producers of many types of batteries to join a battery stewardship organization, which will create and run a statewide battery collection and recycling program. This producer-funded program will expand access to free and convenient battery recycling across Wisconsin. Beginning Jan. 1, 2028, many types of batteries will be banned from disposal in Wisconsin landfills.

Producers that have not joined a battery stewardship organization by Jan. 1, 2027, cannot sell covered batteries or battery-containing products in Wisconsin.

The Battery Network [exit DNR], formerly known as Call2Recycle, intends to operate as Wisconsin’s battery stewardship organization. It must submit a battery stewardship plan that will be posted to the DNR website, along with a list of compliant producers and brands included in the plan.

Read below for more information on which batteries are covered under this law and what your role will be in Wisconsin’s new battery recycling program.

Which Batteries Are Covered?

Which Batteries Are Covered?

The law only applies to batteries intended or designed to be easily removed from products using common household tools. Products with batteries that cannot be easily removed are not covered by the law.

Some consumer electronics, such as cell phones, tablets and laptops, can be recycled through the E-Cycle Wisconsin program. Many collection sites accept both batteries and electronics, making it easier to recycle multiple items at once. Contact your local collection site before dropping off batteries and electronics to confirm hours, fees and any item restrictions.

A variety of battery sizes, shapes, energy ratings and chemistries (e.g. alkaline, silver oxide, carbon-zinc, lithium-ion, nickel cadmium, nickel-metal hydride) can be recycled under this program. The tables below provide more information on which types of batteries can be recycled. For detailed definitions, refer to s. 287.175, Wis. Stats. [exit DNR]

TypeCategoryWeight rangeWatt-hour rangeChemistry examples
Primary (single-use)Portable4.4 pounds or lessN/AAlkaline, carbon zinc, lithium, silver oxide
Primary (single-use)Medium-formatMore than 4.4 through 25 poundsN/ACarbon-zinc (uncommon; can be found in vintage items like lanterns or industrial flashlights)
Rechargeable (can be recharged and reused)Portable11 pounds or less300 watt-hours or lessLithium-ion, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride
Rechargeable (can be recharged and reused)Medium-formatMore than 11 through 25 poundsMore than 300 through 2,000 watt-hoursLithium-ion (used in items like lawn equipment and e-bikes or e-scooters)

Damaged and defective batteries that meet the criteria listed above are included in this program and will be accepted at sites with proper training to safely handle such batteries.

Batteries And Products Not Included Under The Battery Recycling Law

Implementation Timeline

Implementation Timeline

DateImplementation Milestone
Jan. 1, 2027Deadline for battery stewardship organization to submit plan to the DNR for approval
Jan. 1, 2027Producers must mark covered batteries with their identification (such as brand or manufacturer name), unless the battery is less than 0.5 inches in diameter or length
Jan. 1, 2027Producers must have joined a battery stewardship organization and be included in a submitted or approved battery stewardship plan in order to legally sell or distribute covered batteries or battery-containing products in Wisconsin.
Jan. 1, 2028Disposal ban takes effect. Covered batteries cannot be disposed of in landfills and must be dropped off at a designated collection site or event.
Dec. 31, 2028Deadline for an approved battery stewardship plan to meet convenience standard included in law
Jan. 1, 2029Producers must label all covered batteries and batteries within battery-containing products with battery chemistry and proper recycling information.
June 1, 2029Deadline for battery stewardship organization’s first annual report submitted to the DNR.

Who Does This Law Affect?

Who Does This Law Affect?

Consumers

Consumers have a responsibility to dispose of unwanted batteries through proper channels. As an approved battery stewardship organization begins to implement this recycling program, free battery collection sites and events will become more accessible across Wisconsin.

To find a battery drop-off near you, contact your local recycling program, use The Battery Network's locator tool [exit DNR] or refer to the Wisconsin Recycling Markets Directory [exit DNR]. Until the official recycling program begins, fees and battery type restrictions may still apply at some drop-off locations. Contact your local collection site beforehand to confirm hours, fees and any restrictions.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2028, it will be illegal to dispose of covered batteries in landfills or incinerators or to mix with regular recyclables or municipal waste.

Quick battery safety tips

  • Don’t put electronics or rechargeable batteries in curbside trash or recycling containers.
  • When storing batteries at home, tape the terminals of batteries with clear packing tape or store batteries individually in clear plastic bags to prevent fires.
  • Immediately stop using batteries that show any signs of damage such as swelling, leaking, corrosion or overheating. Store in a safe place (such as outdoors in a bucket of sand or kitty litter) until you can drop off at a designated collection site.

For more safety and storage information, visit:

Battery Producers

Battery Producers

You are considered a producer if you are a company that makes a covered battery or battery-containing product and intends to sell or distribute this item in Wisconsin. See s. 287.175(1)(h), Wis. Stats. [exit DNR] for more detailed descriptions of producer criteria.

Under this law, a product is considered a “battery-containing product” only if the battery can be easily removed using common household tools. Products with batteries that are not designed or intended to be easily removed are not covered by the law.

Some types of battery-containing products are regulated separately under Wisconsin’s electronics recycling law, s. 287.17, Wis. Stats. [exit DNR]. Producers of these products must register with the DNR and meet the requirements of that program. For more information, visit the DNR's Information for Electronics Manufacturers webpage.

Producers must designate a battery stewardship organization and be included in a submitted or approved battery stewardship plan by Jan. 1, 2027, in order to sell covered batteries or products containing covered batteries in Wisconsin, including through online sales. Violations of battery stewardship requirements may be subject to a fine of up to $7,000 per violation.

Producers will also be required to meet two distinct labeling requirements:

  • By Jan. 1, 2027, all batteries must be marked with producer identification — that is, the brand or manufacturer name — unless the battery is less than 0.5 inches in diameter or length.
  • By Jan. 1, 2029, producers must label all covered batteries and batteries within battery-containing products with their battery chemistry and proper recycling information.

To learn more:

Battery Collectors

Battery Collectors

A battery stewardship organization must include a list of participating battery collection sites or events in its plan. Interested collectors should work directly with a battery stewardship organization to understand the process and criteria for being included in the plan. No type of entity, such as a local government, waste hauler, waste management company or retailer, is required to collect batteries under the program. Collectors participating under a battery stewardship plan must send covered batteries only to recyclers/processing facilities listed in the approved plan.

A battery stewardship organization is required to provide collection sites included in its plan with safety training procedures, consumer outreach and educational materials and provisions for collecting covered batteries at no cost to the collector. Collectors participating in a battery stewardship plan will be required to do mandatory safety training before receiving battery collection materials. Local governments participating in a battery stewardship plan may receive reimbursement for additional costs incurred as a result of a local government facility or solid waste facility serving as a collection site under the plan. All battery collectors, transporters and recyclers must follow Wisconsin solid, universal and hazardous waste requirements and U.S. Department of Transportation regulations.

Battery Sorters, Transporters And Recyclers

Battery Sorters, Transporters and Recyclers

A battery stewardship organization will include in its plan names of service providers, such as sorters, transporters and processors, that will handle covered batteries collected under the program. The plan must also include provisions for tracking and documenting the management and disposition of collected covered batteries.

The battery recycling law does not lay out specific requirements for participating consolidation or sorting points, transporters or processing facilities. Any facilities that consolidate, store, transfer or process batteries or battery-containing devices in Wisconsin, and any battery transporters, must follow applicable Wisconsin solid and hazardous waste laws and U.S. Department of Transportation shipping requirements.

Performance Standards

Performance Standards

An approved battery stewardship plan must include measurable performance goals for implementing its battery collection and recycling program. The battery stewardship organization is required by law to report progress toward these goals.

One of these requirements is a convenience standard, which is intended to increase access to free and convenient battery recycling across Wisconsin. Portable and medium-format batteries have distinct collection requirements which must be met by Dec. 31, 2028.

Portable Collection RequirementsMedium-Format Collection Requirements
At least one permanent collection site within a 15-mile radius for at least 95% of state residentsAt least 10 permanent collection sites reasonably dispersed throughout the state
At least one permanent collection site, collection service or collection event for portable batteries for every 30,000 residents of each countyA collection event at least once every three years in each county that does not have a permanent collection site

The battery stewardship organization must also include a process for achieving target recycling efficiency rates and target collection rates in their plan. The minimum initial recycling efficiency rate goals are 60% for rechargeable batteries and 70% for primary batteries. Collection rate goals are not set by the law, but the battery stewardship plan must include their own collection rate goals based on the weight of covered batteries sold in the state in previous years (s. 287.175(3)(a)3., Wis. Stats. [exit DNR]).

As the battery stewardship organization implements an approved plan, it must meet certain education and outreach requirements. These requirements include maintaining a public website, providing safety information and training to collection sites and providing consumer-focused education materials (s. 287.175(6), Wis. Stats. [exit DNR]).

To ensure progress toward these goals, a battery stewardship organization must submit to the DNR:

  • Independent audits and annual reports, which include a financial assessment of plan implementation, collection and recycling data, evaluation of education and outreach efforts and a summary of progress towards performance goals. The first of these reports must be submitted by June 1, 2029, and will be made publicly available on the DNR website.
  • A new battery stewardship plan every five years, with corrective measures to meet previous performance goals if any were not met (such as improvements to collection site network or increased expenditures dedicated to education and outreach).

Resources

Resources

Battery Recycling Law

Guidance Documents/Technical Assistance