Posted on November 25, 2025
If you’re doing some cleaning or replacing an old electronic device, you may be wondering what you can do with devices that have batteries.
Metro Waste Authority officials have one message — don’t just throw batteries in the regular trash.
Batteries, even small ones, can cause fires.
To deal with that issue, Metro Waste Authority has placed bins around the metro. The bins have slots for power cords, electronic devices, and batteries. Bags are also provided for any batteries that are disposed of.
Metro Waste officials also say to think about what objects have batteries that you may not even think of. Kayla Burkett, Vice President of Public Affairs for Metro Waste Authority said, “Even a greeting card that has the music playing, that has a little teeny tiny battery inside of it. And that small of a battery can create a significant fire at one of our facilities. And so just be mindful of that. I think a lot of people try to do the right thing, they just don’t know what that is. And so that’s why we’ve launched these containers.”
Many containers are placed at city halls around the metro. One new location is at the downtown Des Moines Public Library.