Safe battery disposal of a damaged 18650

[crayfishx]

I recently came across a couple of old 18650s that had been badly stored and rather mis-treated - stems from the days when I started vaping and was sold a unit and some 18650s with no advice about battery safety and I was blissfully unaware at how close I came to blowing something up, like a limb.

Anyway - one of them is obviously in a bad state, the wrapping has peeled at the top and it is pretty rusted up - I have no idea if it had charge when it was left, but it's been sitting idle for about 2 years, possibly more. It's obviously stored in a case now, but I'd like to get rid of it

There is a public battery bin near my house, I was planning on just placing it in a sealable freezer bag and dropping it in - but I'm worried about the rust/damage - will I be leaving a ticking bomb in the bin or would it be relatively safe after so much time has passed?

Thanks
C

 

[tedigram]

Absent any visible signs of damage or actual pitting of the metal I'd called it okay, as long as you've ensured the insulator disc is intact and in place, and sealed both poles with thick tape or something non-conductive.

 

[crayfishx]

No, the insulator disc is not in place, and the positive end is badly rusted up with the wrap torn off - insulating tape is a good idea I suppose - I just don't want to leave it in a recycle bin if it may be very unstable and unsafe to do so - but then again, I'd rather not have it within 100ft of me either!

 

[crayfishx]

Here is a photo of the positive end - as you can see - it's pretty badly beaten up.... not really comfortable with being that near it to be honest!

 

[Topwater Elvis]

Put some tape on the ends, electrical if you have it, or any tape or non conductive material that will prevent contact with other cells or metals.
zip top baggie will do.

 

[tedigram]

Oh yeah that's a short waiting to happen. Boy, I donno. You've got no idea which one of those little flakes might have some conductivity and get knocked loose. I would be really hesitant to just leave that in an unattended box instead of dropping it someplace where a person can be made aware of it immediately.

But most certainly get some insulating tape over that right away, and make sure absolutely nothing else comes anywhere near the top.

 

[crayfishx]

According to my multimeter its registering at just 0.15V - does that make it any less risky to dispose of it in a bag?

 

[Topwater Elvis]

If it is insulated from touching anything conductive it is as safe to dispose of / recycle as it can be.

 

[Eskie]

According to my multimeter its registering at just 0.15V - does that make it any less risky to dispose of it in a bag?

Not surprising considering what it looks like. Yes, as it is virtually totally drained, there's not a lot of kick there. I'd still tape the end and wrap in some plastic like a ziploc, tape that down, then toss into the recycle bin at your friendly local Home Depot or Lowe's.

 

[Izan]

I recently came across a couple of old 18650s that had been badly stored and rather mis-treated - stems from the days when I started vaping and was sold a unit and some 18650s with no advice about battery safety and I was blissfully unaware at how close I came to blowing something up, like a limb.

Anyway - one of them is obviously in a bad state, the wrapping has peeled at the top and it is pretty rusted up - I have no idea if it had charge when it was left, but it's been sitting idle for about 2 years, possibly more. It's obviously stored in a case now, but I'd like to get rid of it

There is a public battery bin near my house, I was planning on just placing it in a sealable freezer bag and dropping it in - but I'm worried about the rust/damage - will I be leaving a ticking bomb in the bin or would it be relatively safe after so much time has passed?

Thanks
C

Put a piece of tape over the positive contact(s) and drop them in the battery recycle bin at carrefour, leroy merlin or media market.

Cheers
I

 

[Belhade]

I use separate pieces of duct tape for each end of the battery, then bag it and bin it.