Battery Recycling · Atlanta, GA
Car Battery Recycling in Atlanta
Before you go
This is the one item on the site that usually pays you rather than costing you.
Know which of the two payments you're owed
A core charge is a deposit added when you buy a battery, commonly fifteen to twenty-five dollars, refunded when you hand the old one back. If you're not buying anything, that isn't what you get. Walking in with a battery alone earns store credit instead: AutoZone and O'Reilly both run about ten dollars per battery, with daily limits and exclusions. A scrap yard pays cash by weight. One phone call tells you which is worth more today.
Carry it upright
Even a sealed battery will weep sulfuric acid from the vents if it's tipped. Upright, in a plastic tub, in the footwell, not loose in the trunk on carpet.
Lift from underneath with both hands
A car battery is thirty to fifty pounds of dense mass in a slick plastic case with no real handhold. Most of the injuries here are dropped-on-foot, not chemical.
Call first if the case is cracked or bulging
That's a spill in progress, not a drop-off. The site will want to handle it differently, and you don't want it leaking in your car on the way over.
Don't leave it on a concrete floor for weeks first
It won't hurt the concrete, but a battery sitting forgotten in a garage is one that eventually leaks. Take it in the same week you pull it.
Compare options
Car Battery Recycling in Atlanta
2 free · 1 pay you · 1 fee-based
| Facility | Cost | Open now | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton Metals Recycling(404) 600-1444 | Free |
||
| Davis Recycling Company(404) 524-1746 | They pay you |
||
| AutoZone / O'Reilly Auto Parts | Free |
||
| Paid or fee-based options | |||
| Batteries+Bulbs | Fee for this |
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How it works in Atlanta
Local rules
- Georgia Code Sec. 12-8-28: Lead-acid (automobile) batteries are banned from Georgia landfills; retailers must accept used batteries from customers at point of sale and post the universal recycling notice.
- City of Atlanta curbside rules: Electronics, paint, chemicals, and batteries are prohibited from curbside carts and bulk pickup. Bulk pickup must be requested via ATL311; items cannot be placed at the curb before 7pm the day prior or a citation may be issued.
- Georgia's Universal Waste Rule (391-3-11-.16): regulates the management of batteries, recalled pesticides, mercury-containing devices, and lamps to encourage recycling over landfill disposal.
Worth knowing
- CHaRM Atlanta does NOT accept alkaline batteries, car batteries, or propane tanks of any size — common surprises for first-time visitors.
- Atlanta gives single-family residents 12 free scheduled bulk pickups per year via ATL311, but electronics, batteries, paint, and chemicals are explicitly excluded — those must go to CHaRM or a private recycler.
- Atlanta is a regional hub for Li-ion battery recycling: Ascend Elements in Covington processes commercial-scale EV battery materials, and Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) runs an EV battery reuse/recycling R&D program. But consumer drop-off for Li-ion is still through CHaRM or retail Call2Recycle bins.
Fulton County household hazardous waste
CHaRM Atlanta (Center for Hard to Recycle Materials)
Accepts a wide range of hard-to-recycle items.
12 more Atlanta rules, not specific to this item
- Georgia Code Sec. 12-8-40.1: Scrap tires banned from Georgia landfills (since Dec 31, 1994) unless shredded/chipped to standard. Private citizens may store no more than 25 scrap tires and transport no more than 10 without a permit.
- City of Atlanta Code Sec. 130-38 (Ord. 07-O-1335): Owners of multi-family dwellings, condos, or townhouses with 6+ units must provide recycling containers (at minimum for glass, plastics, newspapers, aluminum cans); city does not provide multi-family collection — owners must contract a private hauler.
- Georgia has no statewide e-waste recycling law and no landfill ban on TVs, CRTs, computers, or other electronics — disposal programs are voluntary and run by local governments and private partners.
- Georgia Code Sec. 12-8-22 et seq. (Georgia Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Act): establishes the framework for solid waste management planning, disposal bans, and recycling programs at the state and local level.
- Atlanta has no PaintCare program — Georgia is not one of the 13 PaintCare jurisdictions (CA, CO, CT, DC, IL, ME, MD, MN, NY, OR, RI, VT, WA). Residents pay per-pound at CHaRM or use private paint haulers; there is no $0.35-$1.60 PaintCare fee built into paint purchases.
- CHaRM Atlanta is by appointment only — walk-ups are turned away. Book via booking.livethrive.org; bring the QR code to the gate.
- Live Thrive operates TWO Metro Atlanta CHaRM locations on different days: Atlanta (1110 Hill St SE) on Tue/Thu/Sat; DeKalb (1225 Columbia Dr, Decatur) on Wed/Sat. Document shredding is only offered at the DeKalb site, on designated Shredding Event days.
- CHaRM Residential VIP Membership ($120/yr, tax-deductible) buys guaranteed Saturday appointments, 30-minute early access on Tue/Wed/Thu, one free TV/monitor drop ($25 value), one free mattress drop ($18 value), and discounts to the annual 'A CHaRM'ing Evening' fundraiser at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.
- CHaRM serves the broader metro area without strict residency checks, but the Atlanta 311 article frames it as a City of Atlanta resident service — non-Atlanta residents are welcome but pay the same per-pound fees.
- Multi-county HHW landscape: Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, and Cobb each run their own resident-only events on different schedules, so residents near county lines often default to CHaRM for convenience (no residency check, year-round).
- Georgia is not a PaintCare state, so unlike CO or OR (where paint drop-off sites are everywhere), Atlanta-area paint drop-off is limited to CHaRM (fee-based), periodic county HHW events, or Atlanta Paint Disposal (fee-based private service).
- CHaRM charges residents $0.50/lb for the first 100 lbs of paint/chemicals after 20 free lbs — a linear model that makes small-drop (a few cans) cheap but large cleanouts expensive.
Other Atlanta programs
- CHaRM Atlanta (Center for Hard to Recycle Materials)Year-round drop-off facility at 1110 Hill St SE, Atlanta. Tue/Thu/Sat by appointment only. Accepts electronics (free for residents, $25/TV or monitor), paint/chemicals (first 20 lbs free, then $0.50-$0.75/lb), mattresses, carpet, Styrofoam, textiles, and more. Book via booking.livethrive.org. No residency check — open to all metro residents.404-600-6386
- CHaRM DeKalbSister facility to CHaRM Atlanta operated by Live Thrive; accepts the same hard-to-recycle materials. Open Wednesdays 9am-2pm and Saturdays 8am-2pm by appointment only. Document shredding available on Shredding Event days (Atlanta location does not offer shredding).404-600-6386
- DeKalb County Sanitation HHW CollectionFree biannual household hazardous waste events at the Central Transfer Station, 3720 Leroy Scott Drive, Decatur, 8am-noon. Accepts aerosols, batteries, adhesives, flammables, lawn-care products, fluorescent bulbs, photo chemicals, art supplies, paint. Open only to DeKalb County residents.404-294-2900
- Keep North Fulton Beautiful / Johns Creek HHW DayAnnual North Fulton HHW collection at Johns Creek City Hall, 11360 Lakefield Drive (Saturday, Sept 28 in 2026, 9am-1pm). Pre-registration required by the Thursday before or until cap is reached. Sandy Springs hosts a separate June event at Sandy Springs Youth Sports Complex.
- Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful HHW DaysTwice-yearly HHW collection days at Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville, 9am-1pm. 2026 dates: Feb 7 and June 13. Gwinnett residents only.770-822-5187
- Keep Cobb Beautiful Annual HHW EventAnnual Cobb County HHW collection (next event October 2026; specific date posted in September). Cobb residents only.
- Dell Reconnect at Goodwill of North GeorgiaFree drop-off at any Goodwill of North Georgia store/donation center for any brand of computers, monitors, printers, scanners, hard drives, keyboards, mice, speakers, cables. Dell handles downstream recycling. Customers should wipe data first.
- Atlanta Paint DisposalPrivate paint pickup and drop-off service covering metro Atlanta. Drop-off sites at select ACE Hardwares, Benjamin Moore stores, recycling centers, transfer stations. Drop-offs limited to 50 gallons per visit; pickup service available for larger volumes.404-333-8763
- Call2Recycle drop-off network (Atlanta)Free rechargeable and small-format battery drop-off at participating Home Depot and Lowe's locations across metro Atlanta. 1-4 batteries per visit recommended.
- Batteries Plus — Atlanta locationsFree recycling for rechargeable and single-use batteries plus fluorescent bulbs/tubes at Atlanta-area Batteries Plus stores. Also accepts small electronics (phones, tablets) and ballasts for recycling.
- Global Paint for Charity (Atlanta-based nonprofit)Nonprofit that accepts donations of usable latex paint for redistribution to schools, community centers, and facilities in developing countries. Drop-off in Atlanta or schedule a pickup. Accepts unopened and opened gallons that are still usable (no hardening, no oil-based).855-853-7772
- Ascend Elements (Covington, GA — Li-ion recycling)Commercial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Covington, GA (east of Atlanta). Processes EV and consumer Li-ion batteries for material recovery using patented hydro-to-cathode technology. B2B intake — not a consumer drop-off.508-936-7701
Where this came from: 16 sources
- livethrive.org/charm (opens in a new tab)
- livethrive.org/charm/items-we-accept (opens in a new tab)
- livethrive.org/charm/dekalb (opens in a new tab)
- www.atl311.com/en-us/knowledgearticle/?code=KB0011610 (opens in a new tab)
- www.dekalbcountyga.gov/household-hazardous-waste-event-1 (opens in a new tab)
- keepnorthfultonbeautiful.org/household-hazardous-waste-1 (opens in a new tab)
- gwinnettcb.org/signature-events/household-hazardous-waste-collection-day (opens in a new tab)
- law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-12/chapter-8/article-2/part-1/section-12-8-28 (opens in a new tab)
- epd.georgia.gov/recycling-and-waste-reduction-resources (opens in a new tab)
- www.paintcare.org/paintcare-states (opens in a new tab)
- www.atlantapaintdisposal.com (opens in a new tab)
- goodwillng.org/green-initiative (opens in a new tab)
- www.dellreconnect.com (opens in a new tab)
- www.globalpaints.org (opens in a new tab)
- www.bestbuy.com/site/services/recycling/pcmcat149900050025.c (opens in a new tab)
- www.batteriesplus.com/recycling (opens in a new tab)
Common questions
About Car Battery Recycling here
How much does Car Battery recycling cost in this area?
2 of 4 facilities (50%) offer free recycling for Car Battery. Facilities that may charge: Davis Recycling Company, Batteries+Bulbs. Davis Recycling Company: Paid by weight for scrap batteries. Batteries+Bulbs: Free recycling for most battery types. Some fees for specialty batteries..
Do I need an appointment for Car Battery drop-off?
No appointment needed. Fulton Metals Recycling, Davis Recycling Company, Batteries+Bulbs, AutoZone / O'Reilly Auto Parts accept walk-ins.
Is pickup available for Car Battery?
Yes, 2 facilities offer pickup: Fulton Metals Recycling, Davis Recycling Company.
How much is a car battery core charge?
The core charge on a new car battery ranges from $5 to $22 depending on the state and retailer. You get a full refund when you return your old battery at the time of purchase.
What happens to recycled car batteries?
Lead-acid batteries are the most recycled product in America at 99%. The lead is smelted into new battery components, the polypropylene plastic is reprocessed, and the sulfuric acid is neutralized into water or converted to sodium sulfate for fertilizer.