Illinois residents can now conveniently recycle household batteries. As a result of legislation that took effect Jan. 1, Illinois has a battery stewardship program. Lowe’s in Springfield and Home Depot in Jacksonville are examples of places where people can take household batteries to be recycled at no charge.
The Portable and Medium Format Battery Stewardship Act requires battery producers to fund and manage the collection, transportation and recycling of portable primary (single use) and rechargeable batteries and other medium format batteries weighing between 4.4 and 25 pounds. The Battery Network is the state-approved stewardship program that allows consumers to recycle all household batteries through a convenient network of drop-off locations. To find a drop off site, go to https://batterynetwork.org/state-recycling-laws/illinois/.
Household batteries are single use and rechargeable batteries found in everyday home devices and battery-containing products such as remotes, toys, flashlights, cordless tools and portable chargers. Medium-format batteries are larger rechargeable batteries up to 25 pounds that arecommonly found in snowblowers, e-bikes and electric, cordless lawn mowers.
Illinois became the 16th state to enact a comprehensive battery recycling law, which is overseen by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). The Battery Network is an organization whose mission is to connect every part of the battery lifecycle to enable safe recycling, efficient logistics and the recovery of critical materials that strengthen America’s energy independence while protecting people and the planet. Find more info at https://batterynetwork.org/.
As stated on the IEPA web site, “Ensuring the proper management, handling, recycling and end of life management of used portable and medium-format batteries will prevent the release of toxic materials into the environment and will aid in removing materials from the waste stream that, if mishandled, may present safety concerns to workers, such as fires at solid waste handling facilities.”
This article appears in April 16-22, 2026.
